My Faker, My King, My Rival, My Master
by TheAnonymoux
Summary: When Sonic suddenly goes missing, Shadow is tasked with the mission of finding him. It doesn't seem to be too hard, until he finds himself in the world of Camelot, where the faker is king, the people look like their friends, a war is raging, and the Knight of the Round Table known as Lancelot, wants his head on a platter. Sonadow vs. Soncelot (Sonic x Lancelot). Black Knight AU.
1. 1 - Detective Shadow

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**Summary -**

_When Sonic suddenly goes missing, Shadow is tasked with the mission of finding him. It doesn't seem to be too hard, until he finds himself in the world of Camelot, where the faker is king, the people look like their friends, a war is raging, and the Knight of the Round Table known as Lancelot, wants his head on a platter. Sonadow vs. Soncelot (Sonic x Lancelot). Black Knight AU._

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* * *

**My Faker, My King, My Rival, My Master**

**Written by Anonymoux-Sonic  
Beta'd by Shadow**

**Chapter One – Detective Shadow**

The white bat looked up with a smirk. "What took you so long, sunshine?" she asks sarcastically. Oh, she knew exactly what had taken him so long, but it was just too fun to tease him.

The scarlet blush that graced his tan muzzle seemed to bring out his deep red eyes, which narrowed sharply under black lids.

"I'll kill you and you know it," he growled, snatching the communicator out of her hands. "Don't test me."

Her smirk grows, and she blinked her dark eyelashes at him, playfully pushing him away. "Oh, what~? Did I catch you at a bad time~?"

His face was so red, she was just waiting for his nose to bleed. Taking a menacing step closer to her, he leans over her, his sharp white teeth bared in warning. "Drop it. Now."

"You are not scary at all," she coos, reaching up to pinch his cheeks. "You're just so _cute!"_

He jumps back, getting her hands off his face, before he grabs her by the wrists and pins her against the wall. "I will end you, bat. You're two seconds away from—"

"Oh~! You're nose _is _bleeding~!" she suddenly exclaims, her eyes practically twinkling. His own eyes widen, and he pulls back, reaching up to the said appendage to feel the coppery substance dripping onto his finger tips.

He pulls his hand back and stares at the red liquid in horror. "What the hell?!"

Rouge grins, poking his nose gleefully. "So damn cute, you are, you know that?" Stepping closer to him, she giggles quietly and holds his muzzle in both of her hands. "Don't worry, sweetheart," she says softly, "I won't tell anyone what I caught you doing…"

He glared all of hell at her, shoving her away harshly. "Get off of me, and leave me alone!"

With that, he turns from her, storming in the door behind them, slamming it angrily shut with a bang.

Rouge giggles, putting a hand to her mouth with a grin.

"Too bad he doesn't know I caught him on camera."

Commander Towers had jumped when his door had slammed shut, looking up slightly surprised as a red-faced, nose-bleeding Shadow stomped in.

Deciding not to ask, mostly for his own well-being, the human holds out the folder he picked up off the top of his brown desk. "Agent Shadow, your mission."

The black and red hedgehog huffs, taking the folder with a scowl adorning his face. He flips it open as Towers explains it to him.

"This was a request from the Resistance's Freedom Fighters. Apparently Sonic went missing three weeks ago and hasn't been seen since. Mr. Prower reported that Sonic was supposed to be meeting with Ms. Rose to discuss personal matters, while she claims he never showed up." He sits back in his chair as Shadow looks up at him, not looking angry, but completely unreadable.

"You're having me look for him?" he questions, even his tone indescribable.

The grey haired human nods. "Yes. Rouge has already gotten you all the information you may need, and it's all in that folder. You're the only one that can move the closest to the speeds Sonic can, and if Dr. Eggman has him, or something similar, you're the only one that can handle it. Plus, you have Chaotic Abilities that can help track him. You've done it before, haven't you?"

Shadow huffs and looks back at the folder. "Of course I have. I'll find the idiot," he agrees. At least it'll give him something to do.

Towers nods, content. "Perfect. I had some new gear made for you for convenience, as well as fixed your bike. You can pick those up in the armory. Topaz also has a Chaos Emerald for you."

Shadow looks up faster than he can blink. "An emerald? Why so generous?" This did seem a bit shady…

The Commander puts some papers on his desk in a drawer on his left. "This is kind of a big problem. If Dr. Eggman realizes that Sonic is gone, or makes a move to attack, we don't have our biggest defense. It isn't like you or G.U.N. can't handle that madman, it's that Sonic can control him. Sonic knows him better than any of us, and with him gone, that leaves us defenseless."

Towers always spoke highly of Sonic. The man could hate an innocent mobian child, but when it came to Sonic, all his respect was thrown to him. Personally Shadow thought it was because the man was afraid of the faker, but then again, the human really wanted Sonic to join G.U.N. Kiss-ass.

"Very well," Shadow mutters, looking back at the folder. The papers inside had too many notes to take in all at once, but just skimming them he could tell they were written by Rouge. "I'll find him."

Towers nods approvingly. "Good to hear. Report anything unusual you find. I've had multiple Resistance members on my ass about finding him as soon as possible. Good luck, Shadow."

The Ultimate Lifeform nods, turning away as soon as he was dismissed.

Stepping outside the office, he's greeted by a still-smirking Rouge. His eyes narrow at her, before he stomps passed her. She follows, her hands folded behind her back.

"The communicator I gave you is the upgraded one. No matter how far you are, you should be able to receive and transmit calls from wherever you are. You can even send transmissions using your Chaos Energy," she explains, watching him close the folder and tuck it under his arm.

"Like hell if I'm using my energy on a G.U.N. device," he glowers. "It's just another way for Towers to try and get a hold of it."

Rouge giggles. "You really can never put the past behind you, can you? He really does care for you, Shadow. He understands the pain you went through, and he's gone through it too. Why do you think he became G.U.N. Commander?"

"Power is corrupt," Shadow states simply. "I know evil when I see it."

She rolls her eyes. "It wasn't even G.U.N. that raided the ARK, you know. There was a secret organization working underneath everyone that were the true cause of it all, no matter what your faded memories tell you."

Shadow stops, turning to glare at her. "You've told me so before, and I have yet to see this information. Why tell me something and not prove your words?"

The ivory female pouts slightly. "Are my words not trustworthy enough, darling? I thought we've moved passed that…"

He pushes open the door to the armory, scoffing slightly. "You do what you want and say what you do to benefit yourself in the end. Don't think I don't remember you using me when I had amnesia."

Rouge feels a guilty frown pull her lips downwards. "Shadow, we couldn't risk losing you—"

"Bullshit. We're not discussing this anymore," he cuts, walking over to the tall, dirty blond female standing by his motorcycle, the Dark Rider.

Topaz looks up at the sound of Shadow's voice. "You're here," she states obviously. "Good. Here's some things for you to check out and see if you like, and, of course, the Chaos Emerald."

She hands him a decently sized silver suit case, light, but filled with everything she had promised.

"I'll leave the bike here for now," he says, opening the case. The gadgets inside were actually impressive, and there was even a new gun for him in there. He takes the emerald for now, closing the case and holding the cobalt blue gem up.

He doesn't even say goodbye, or wait for anyone to talk to him, before he mutters the words, 'Chaos Control' and disappears in a blue flash.

Topaz blinks and gives her best friend a suspicious look. "Grumpier than usual?"

Rouge grins, putting a hand on her curvy hip. "I caught him _playing around _this morning in the shower."

The human's eyes widen. "Why would you go in there if he was showering?"

The sultry female shrugs as if it wasn't a big deal. "I've done it before. I might have my eyes on a someone else right now, but damn is he one hell of a hedgehog."

The taller girl sighs and shakes her head, looking away. "Rouge, you're terrible. How mad was he?"

The white bat laughs lightly. "_So_ pissed. You know it's almost mating season, so this time of year his Chaos Energy spikes big time. Fastest way to drain his energy is to _mess around. _A bit early than normal this year."

"Oh, leave him alone," Topaz huffs, crossing her arms. "I'm sure you've done the same thing before countless times."

Rouge raises a suggestive brow. "Wouldn't you like to know~?" When her friend's face reddens, she adds: "Plus that's just me. This is _Shadow, _the Ultimate Grouch and emotionless brood. You have no idea how cute it was to see him like that. Something about powerful guys getting all down like that is just too cute to handle."

Topaz could only sigh. "As I said…Rouge…you're terrible."

"You're just jealous it wasn't you in that shower. Hell, I probably would have joined you."

"Rouge!" Topaz's face was redder than Shadow's had been.

The albino only grins, her own face reddening some. "What? I've never tossed around with a human before. A part of me can't help but be curious."

"Rouge, shut up!"

* * *

The best way to start tracking Sonic's Chaos Signature, was to go to the place he had left, the place he was supposed to be, and the path in between. He started by knocking on the door to the workshop and house of Miles Tails Prower, the same house Sonic had been in before he disappeared.

A few seconds passed before the fox himself opened the door to greet the biohog.

"Shadow?" Tails starts with a blink, obviously taken aback. "Did G.U.N. send you?"

The onyx hedgehog nods, crossing his arms. "Yes. I just need to know where he was headed when he left."

The golden kitsune nods, turning around real quick. "You can come in. I have to message Amy real quick and see where she said they were supposed to meet up. I don't think he ever really told me."

Shadow steps in the house, finding himself cringing slightly as he shut the front door. The house was a disaster of a mess. Tools and inventions strewn around almost everywhere, while the place stunk of oil and grease. There were so many black charred stains in the use-to-be beige carpet, Shadow considered ripping it out himself.

Not a very nice place for someone with an obsessive compulsive disorder.

Tails had run into a room in the back, the one that connected to his workshop, and ran back out, strapping a communicator to his wrist. After pressing a few buttons on the little device, he types out his message and sends it. Looking up, he notices Shadow's uncomfortable expression, and blushes slightly in embarrassment.

"Yeah…the place is a mess. Sonic's going to be so mad when he gets back… I've just been so busy trying to work and find him at the same time, I haven't kept up with keeping clean."

Shadow turns and looks at the kid, feeling a bit of sympathy for him. Kids were his weakness, and Tails had his respect. He was smart, did a lot of things better than Eggman could ever wish, and yet he was only eight years of age. "Why would Sonic be mad?" he asked both curiously and to make conversation.

Tails smiles brightly. "He's super, super, super ADHD, and that makes him OCD too. He can't stand a mess, no matter how small it is. He really does good with containing himself, but I know he'd probably never forgive me if he saw the place like this."

That…was interesting information. So Sonic was a neat-freak? He would have thought the opposite, although when Tails explained it, it made sense. "Does he not live here?"

The fox shakes his head. "No. We built this place together kind of hidden so Eggman wouldn't find it and ambush it. He stays the night sometimes, but he's got multiple reasons of why we don't live together anymore."

Shadow raises a brow. "What reasons are those?"

The kitsune shrugs. "Well, for one he's still paranoid about the whole Chaos Tracking thing. After Eggman did that, he's been a bit jumpier than usual. He doesn't want Eggman to track him and then hurt me, too."

Shadow nods, crossing his arms as he leaned against the nearby wall. He listens to Tails continue. "I also think he has a hidden home of his own somewhere, where he keeps all his valuable stuff hidden. Sonic loves his privacy. He doesn't like crowded areas, too many people, and he likes to be alone a lot of the time. When he gets bored, he seeks adventure. He visits me a lot, but he also wants me to grow a little more responsible on my own, and not rely on him in case something happens."

He forgets that Sonic raised Tails from a cub. Rouge mentions it from time and time again, how Sonic would be an awesome father, and even Knuckles mentioned something about it once, but he's never seen that stern, strict, serious, parent like figure from the blue hero. All he's ever seen was a blue, childish idiot that likes to get himself into trouble because he's either insane or a masochist. Probably both.

A beep from Tails's com-link makes them both perk up, crashing his train of thought. The fox smiles at the message. "Apparently they were supposed to meet up at the Station Square Super Center."

Shadow nods, standing away from the wall. "Then I'll head there and see if I can feel around for his energy."

Tails nods, giving him a relieved smile. "Thank you for doing this for us, Shadow. I'm really worried about him."

The striped hedgehog raises a brow. "Why didn't you report this sooner?"

The fox chuckles nervously, turning the screen of his communicator off. "Well…about that… Sonic was going to meet up with Amy, because he wanted to talk to her about her…obsession problem. He wanted to tell her that they were just friends, nothing more, never will be anything more, and to try and move on happily. She thought he bailed on their 'date', and I thought he was just too scared to go through with it."

Shadow sighs, pinching the skin between his eyes. "So you waited it out to see if he would show."

"Yeah," Tails nods. "But I've tried calling him so many times already. He wouldn't just run off and ignore me like that. He promised he would be back to tell me what happened that night, but…"

The hedgehog nods. "Alright. I'll tell you personally what I find."

The fox smiles again. "Thank you so much, Shadow. This means a lot to me."

He nods, turning away and heading out.

For some reason he felt like he just had to make sure Sonic got back safely. He and Tails were family, and family…

…well, family meant more than anything in the world.

* * *

Sonic's Energy Signature just…stopped.

Just stopped right in the middle of nowhere.

It was such an abrupt stop, too. He was in the suburbs of Station Square, skating around and asking if anyone had seen the Blue Blur lately. Not too long after he talked to a dog at a chili dog stand, which stated Sonic had stopped by and grabbed two that day, he found himself at a dead end. The shopping center was just ahead of this park, the one the trail ended at. Right at the edge of the park lot, it was as if Sonic had fallen through a hole in the ground.

"The hell…?" he grumbled, trying to figure it out. The only way this could have happened, was if Sonic used Chaos Control here, but usually when someone preforms Chaos Control, you can feel it in their energy signature. It was a strong radiation that lasted sometimes nearly a month, and you could find it easily if you were searching for it, right in the spot it occurred. Here, however, was nothing. Sonic's energy just stopped here. It didn't go up or down or anywhere. It just…stopped.

That was impossible.

Even if Sonic died, there would still be energy lingering around. There was no way, no logical explanation for why his energy just vanished into thin air.

He sighs, looking around. This was harder than he thought it was going to be. He takes a look around the park, his ruby red eyes scanning for anything and everything that might aid him.

Cameras.

There were cameras on top of the light posts and signs all around the park.

Perfect.

* * *

"There he is," Topaz points at the screen, where the blue hedgehog was walking with two chili dogs in hand. He was looking around, probably for Amy, and they could see he was somewhat nervous. Then again, Amy could get downright scary. Even Shadow found her a dangerous opponent at times. She had a heart of gold, but she was still considerably selfish about things that she wanted.

Sonic didn't stand there long before something bizarre happened. He went to take a step forward, when suddenly a strange, purple light lit up the ground, opening up…

"A portal?" Rouge exclaims.

They watch him yelp and fall through, the portal closing behind him.

Shadow had to blink, replaying the image in his head about three times. "He fell…through a portal…"

"That's the most random thing I've seen, ever," Topaz says, sounding a bit dumbfounded. "It just opened up out of nowhere."

"At least I know why his energy just disappeared without a trace," Shadow grumbles, pulling away from the screen, crossing his arms. How the hell do you track that?

"You know," Topaz starts thoughtfully. "It isn't finished, but we've been working on a transporter that can get you to places based on you Chaos Energy."

Shadow glares at her. "Is everything going to be run on my energy, now?"

She holds up her hands, innocently. "It's mainly for you, Shadow, but… If we put Sonic's Energy Signature in there, you could use the transporter to Chaos Control you to his location."

"You said it's not finished," Rouge frowns. "What if it goes wrong?"

Topaz smiles. "We've already thought about all the different scenarios. The machine requires a Chaos Emerald to run by, and it's transported with him. The thing about Chaos Emeralds, is that they can be used to store specific information, like the transporter. If he used the Chaos Emerald to leave that dimension, or wherever he ends up, the emerald will automatically send him back here." She turns and pulls up a screen on her monitor. "I could go into the science of how it all works, but it's stable enough for him to at least use it."

"I suppose it's better than nothing," Shadow huffs.

Topaz nods. "Alright, then we'll do it. It's the only shot we have at anything, so we might as well take it."

* * *

Shadow couldn't help but wonder if this would really work. After setting everything up, he now stood in the transporter, holding the blue emerald tightly in his hand.

"You ready to go?" the engineer standing next to Topaz asked, and he nods.

"Alright! Here it goes!"

"Be safe, Shadow!"

With a flip of a switch, the machine lit up, and a white flash overtook him.


	2. 2 - Cameo in Camelot

**Chapter Two – A Cameo in Camelot**

When the transporter died down, the group of three cautiously stepped over to peek inside.

"Um…" Rouge starts hesitantly. "Well, he's gone, but…wasn't the emerald supposed to go with him?"

The mentioned emerald just levitated in the air in the center of the machine, oblivious to the disaster it just caused.

"Oh no…" Topaz breathes. "Shadow's there, but without the emerald, how is he going to get back?"

They all exchange the same, worried looks.

"Oh," Rouge starts with a forced smile. "He's Shadow. I'm sure he and Blue will figure something out."

* * *

The black hedgehog groans, peeling his face off of the muddy ground. Rain battered him relentlessly, soaking through his thick quills and sleeking his fur pelt. Wiping away the dirt on the side of his muzzle, he squints through the hard, large droplets of water, pushing himself to his feet. He looks around, seeing nothing but dark oak trees on all sides, and a dirt path cutting through them where he stood. A few feet away, a few wooden crates were smashed and broken on the side of the road.

Lightening flashed overhead, and he lifted up his arm, taking a look at the communicator on his wrist. It had a screen on there that said, "Incoming Message," with a little spinning circle underneath it. He had a feeling he wasn't going to get that message anytime soon.

'Well,' he thought dryly, 'might as well try and figure out where the hell I am.'

Reaching behind him to his quills, he goes to grab the Chaos Emerald…

…only to realize it isn't there.

His eyes widen, and he begins frantically circling around the small area, searching for the blue gem he was supposed to have with him. He was holding it when they transported, so where was it? Did it not…go through with him?

Then again, someone was trying to send him a message, so the emerald was most likely left at G.U.N., probably in Rouge's greedy hands while Topaz tried to control her anxiety attack.

With a sigh of frustration, thinking of possible ways to get both he and Sonic home in the back of his head, he takes another look around. Lighting flashed once again, followed by the low rumble of thunder. The clouds were a dark, greyish purple, and as he made his way to a clearing in the center of the road, he looks up at the sky with a scowl. This world, he could feel the difference in it from Mobius. First of all, the presence of the Chaos Emeralds was non-existent here. It didn't feel like there was any Chaos Energy here at all, but a strange, foreign energy he had never felt before.

Seeing the smashed crates up ahead, he walks over to them to investigate. They seemed to have been empty, and there for quite some time. Maybe a few weeks or more, by the way the wood was starting to rot away, and half of them were buried in the ground. He looks up and ahead, seeing the woods begin to clear just a bit, enough to see a small clearing and very…very large tree just ahead. It was perfect.

He takes off, running towards the awe-striking tree, dashing his way up from branch to branch. Once reaching the top, crouches on the small branch there, just sturdy enough to support his weight and give him a bird's eye view of the landscape.

Where _was_ he?

The trees spread for miles, with little clearings in between clusters. In those clearings, were large wooden structures, Shadow assumed were towers and gates to villages. Farther out, he could see something that looked like a lake, but it was too far to see.

Despite the darkened sky and heavy rain, this place had a mystical feeling to it. Like something from a fairy tale that Maria use to read to him every night.

"It was over here!"

The sudden sound of voices caught his sensitive ears, and he looks down, frowning. That voice sounded too familiar to him to be coincidence, and with the curiosity of a cat, the Ultimate Lifeform begins quickly, yet quietly descending the tree.

Nearing the bottom, he hangs onto one of the lower branches, just to get a good enough view.

Was that…Knuckles?

The red echidna below him stood beside a purple cat, both wearing metallic armor that covered their faces and torsos. He had no idea who the cat was, but the echidna was wearing shoes of armor that looked exactly like Knuckles's.

'I must be in an alternate dimension,' the striped hog thought with a frown. There was no other explanation.

The two on the ground were searching around for something, the cat holding out what appeared to be a sword, pointing at something on the ground. "There are footprints here!"

The Knuckles look-a-like turned from where he had been looking behind a bush, running over to his partner to observe what she had found. Indeed, there were footprints. Shadow raised a brow at them, wondering what exactly they were looking for.

Moving over a few branches to avoid eyesight, Shadow perches on another branch a little ways ahead of them, watching them carefully. The echidna followed the muddied footprints to the tree, where they stopped at the base.

"Whoever left these prints must have climbed this tree," he theorizes, looking up. Shadow felt a bit relieved he moved from his previous spot, otherwise he would have been seen.

The purple feline walks over and looks up as well, frowning. "I can climb it," she offers, looking to her partner. The ruby male frowns, lifting up his visor to see better.

Purple eyes, just like Knuckles, Shadow immediately noticed. So this _had_ to be an alternate reality of Mobius. Judging by their accents, armor, and swords, most likely a medieval one.

"I do not see any other option. We cannot return to the king with no news to share."

The female nods, lifting up her visor as well. Shadow still didn't know who she was.

"Very well. Search the area while I'm up there. See if you can't find anything."

He nods, and she jumps up, dashing almost as quickly as Shadow had just moments ago. As impressive as it was, he had a bad feeling about her. He didn't want to be caught. Not yet at least.

The echidna turns away and starts looking around again, determined to figure out the unspoken mystery. Shadow silently wondered if his transportation here was loud enough or something to catch someone's attention. Then again, they did mention a king.

A king he was pretty sure he would be meeting soon enough.

"Sir Gawain!" the girl called out, jumping back down to the ground with a small scowl. "There is nothing," she continues, as the knight turns and faces her. "Whatever it was that was up there, is no longer present."

'Sir Gawain' frowned, crossing his arms. "Unless they are still here, not wanting to be found."

Something about 'Gawain' sounded familiar to Shadow, who furrowed his brows, trying to think. Wasn't Sir Gawain a legendary knight? What from again?

The female hums, putting a hand on her hip. "I don't like this…not at all. We can't just go back to the king with nothing. You saw how he reacted."

Gawain nods, looking down with a grim frown. "Yes. We will find something to bring back to him."

The two turn from each other, searching around some more. Eventually they reached the spot Shadow had woke up in, and they both stare with surprise.

"Whatever it was had fallen here!" Gawain exclaims.

The cat nods, looking back at the footprints they had followed. "They landed here, then they proceeded forward until they reached the tree. I believe they are still here."

It was almost comical, Shadow slightly mused. Like he was watching a movie play out before him. The two knights were smart, and as they started to look up, their eyes scanning the trees, he made a decision.

Yes, there may be another mobian here that looks like him, but he wasn't going to get anywhere unless he spoke to someone. Jumping down from his hiding spot, he watches both knights whip around to catch him with wide eyes.

"Sir Lancelot?" the echidna exclaims. Shadow tilted his head slightly at the name, knowing his counterpart must be this 'Lancelot.' Again, another familiar name.

"No," the cat spoke up, putting a hand in front of her comrade as she stepped in front of him. "Sir Lancelot never leaves the king's side. This must be another one of Le Fey's clones."

Now this was interesting. A clone of his counterpart?

"If I may," he starts, almost smirking, catching them off guard. "I am not a clone. I'm from another dimension, another world, looking for someone important."

The two exchange weary looks, before narrowing their eyes at him.

"We will consider your claim," Gawain speaks, "but until you meet with our king, you are our prisoner."

So they were considering it? They actually somewhat believed him?

That was a bit odd to the dark hedgehog.

Despite that, he went over their words again in his head. "Fine," he says, considering it to be the best choice. "I wanted to meet your king anyway. He might be able to help me find who I'm looking for."

Both knights exchange the same looks from before, but this time they then turned and walked over to him. The female knight pulls something from the belt on her waist, specially made, silver glowing hand cuffs, and puts them on his wrists behind his back. He didn't mind. The sooner they got to the king, the better.

Gawain grabs his right arm, pulling him forward to walk with them. "You claim you are from another world?"

Shadow nods. "Yes. My world is a direct mirror of yours. The people here look like the people where I'm from."

The echidna frowns. "What is your world called?"

The black and red hedgehog glances at the female walking slightly behind him, slightly on his left. "Mobius," he answers.

"And for whom are you searching for?" the cat asks, studying him carefully.

Shadow turns and looks forward, noticing the tall wooden gates of a village they were quickly approaching. "He is..." he pauses, thinking over his words. "A friend. A very important one. He is a leader and the hero of my world."

He felt odd saying that. Sonic has called him a friend multiple times, but this was the first time he returned the title.

Both Gawain and the female meet eyes, before the former asks him another question. "What is this friend's name?"

"Sonic," Shadow states, watching both knights jump slightly in surprise. They knew that name, he could tell by the wide eyes and shocked expressions on their faces.

Sonic really was here.

"Do you know him?" Shadow questions now, his ears folding slightly.

Neither of the two answer him directly. Instead, Gawain pushes him forward to walk faster into the village. "Save your questions for the king."

The ebony hedgehog couldn't help but furrow his brows. What were they hiding from him?

"Sir Percival! Sir Gawain!" a familiar voice called, and the group of three turned their attention to the purple chameleon running towards them.

This world's Espio wore armor exactly like the others', his being a metallic purple. He stops in front of them, blinking at Shadow in surprise.

"Sir Bors," the cat, Shadow assumed was 'Percival' greeted. "What ever is the matter?"

"The king sent me to find you two, and see if you have discovered the source of the light. I assume this clone is it?" the chameleon, Bors inquires, studying Shadow as Percival had just moments ago. "He looks different than the other ones."

Both knights nod. "Yes," Gawain answers. "He claims to be from another world, searching for a friend. We are taking him to the king at once."

Sir Bors narrowed his eyes slightly. "It could be just another one of Le Fey's traps," he suggests.

"We are aware of that," Percival answers, giving Shadow a warning glare. "However if that is the case, the king will have the honor of dealing with it himself."

So this king was a bigshot, Shadow guessed. The way they talked about him…

"Very well," the Espio counterpart hesitantly agreed. "Sir Galahad is waiting for us."

All these familiar names, yet he couldn't figure out where from. It was like a word on the tip of his tongue, driving him crazy because he couldn't recognize what it was.

They began walking him forward once more, catching the attention of a few townspeople as they passed. These creatures here were rather interesting, Shadow thought to himself. They had big eyes, large ears, and almost looked like a cross between a cat and an elf at the same time. Maria would have called them adorable, he knew for sure.

"We have a problem!" someone, a very familiar, yet annoying voice, yelled towards them. The group turns to none other than the silver hedgehog he knew on his world as Silver, who sported silver armor with cyan designs inscribed on all of it. His visor was up just as the rest of theirs', and he looked panicked.

"Sir Galahad, what ails you?" Gawain asked, as they all came to a stop in front of each other.

The white knight was panting from running, and Shadow noticed, that the hedgehog before him seemed a bit younger than the Silver he knew. Silver was at least fifteen, yet this knight appeared to be a year or two younger, if not three.

Galahad points behind him, his ears pinned back slightly. "We're under attack!"

As if on cue, the gates on the other side of the village exploded with a loud crack and boom, and through it, ran the strangest creatures Shadow had ever seen. They had fish-like characteristics, yet they wore armor, were slimy, glowed with a black, blue, and magenta light, and fired strange, dark magic at anything they could. Some of them were flying fish, the others were strange, globby creatures that slid across the ground. Others were a bit taller than the townspeople and mobians, carrying large swords and spears that glowed with the same mystical light.

They were like a cross between the Black Arms and the Dark Gaia monsters.

…and fish?

People started screaming, the townspeople running away to hide, or stood cowering in fear. The knights around him unsheathed their swords, while Gawain pushed Shadow over to a nearby shop stall. "You are to stay here. Galahad! Watch him!"

The youngest knight nods, as the others take of to fight off the strange, dark creatures. Shadow watched with slight interest, as every time one of the creatures were struck with a sword, they would vanish in a dark, purple smoke.

Sir Galahad eyes Shadow wearily. "Who are you, may I ask, and where are you from?"

His accent wasn't as strong as the older knights, and his words were a bit more modern. Shadow frowns, watching the battle around him in slightly growing uneasiness.

"My name is Shadow, and I'm from another world. I came here searching for a friend of mine, who went missing some time ago, and is most likely here," he explains, watching the white hedgehog's eyes widen.

"Who are you searching for?"

Shadow met the kid's eyes, raising a brow. "His name is Sonic."

The knight's eyes couldn't get much wider, and his mouth drop opens in shock. Before he could respond, however, a scream was heard not too far from them.

Three of the strange creatures were surrounding a smaller townsperson, a little girl, it looked like.

Shadow took a step forward. "Aren't you going to help her?"

The knight looks at him, then back at the girl. He couldn't leave the dark hedgehog unattended, but he couldn't let a young maiden die, either.

With a groan of exasperation, the knight charges forward, slashing at the first monster.

Shadow shakes his head in disbelief. The girl needed to be moved out of the way, or she would get seriously injured.

Using all the strength he had, he breaks the chain connecting the cuffs behind his back, freeing his arms apart. He dashes forward, scooping the small child up and out of the way, just in time for a monster to land where she had been standing, before getting up to fight back at the white hedgehog.

Putting the child on the ground next to her mother, who said something to him in a language he didn't understand, but assumed was a thank you, he turns to check on the ivory knight. He was being cornered, and the creatures were swarming him.

With a huff, he runs forward, throwing a Chaos Spear at the first one, then the second, and as they go down, he joins the hedgehog's side, back to back.

"You need to be faster," he commented, kicking one of the creatures in the face with his heavy skate shoe.

Galahad gave him an odd look. "You really are from another world," he answers. He notices the monster Shadow had kicked back was rearing back to attack. "You cannot take them down without a blade," he pushes Shadow back, slashing the robot in half, for it to disappear in a puff of smoke.

"What are they?" the biohog asks, as the knight turns to face him.

"The are the Knights of the Underworld," the younger answers, pulling his visor up (when did he pull it down?) to reveal his bright yellow eyes. "They are dark creatures of magic, conjured up by the mistress Morgan le Fey and her brother, Sir Mordred."

The names, he knew them. He needed to ask where the hell he was…

Another loud crash stopped him from even trying, however. The two turn to see Percival stumble out of a crumbling home, only to be attacked by two more Knights of the Underworld. On the other side of the clearing, Gawain and Bors were being pushed back into a wall by five more of the dark monsters.

"You help them," Shadow points to the two males on their right. "I'll help her."

Galahad nods. "Very well."

They both split in a flash of gold and cyan, Shadow slicing one of the dark knights with another Chaos Spear. He throws another at the second creature, and with a screech, it was gone. He turns and grabs the hand of Percival, who was holding her injured left side.

"Are you alright?" Shadow asks carefully, as he pulls her to her feet.

She lifts up her visor to glance at her wound, and then frown at him. "Why did you aid me?" she questions.

He frowns right back at her. "Should I have just let them kill you?"

She furrows her brows, but pulls her visor back down. "You broke your restraints to help that child. You continue to fight alongside us, and you will no longer be our prisoner."

"Sounds fair," he agrees, and they both take off to help the three knights on the other side of the village.

They each take out an Underworld knight as they reach the others, before joining in to take out the rest.

Gawain and Bors both eyed Shadow suspiciously, but didn't make comment. Instead, the group took out the rest of the dark monsters, until there were none left.

The village was smoking with dying flames and broken homes. The villagers looked around in distraught, before looking to their knights with thankful eyes.

"There are more coming!" Percival exclaims, pointing to the broken town gates. Indeed, more were running towards them in large packs.

"Everyone get to shelter!" Gawain orders loudly, causing the villagers to start crying out and running in panic.

"What are they after?" Shadow questions the red knight, confused as ever. "What do they want?"

The knight turns and meets his eyes from under the red visor, frowning. "They want destruction, and power." He holds both his swords out, preparing for another fight. "Get ready!"

It was like a tidal wave coming down on them, and they all braced themselves for impact…

Then something miraculous happened.

A ferocious blast of wind nearly swept them all off their feet, a loud boom shattering their ears and ricocheting off of everything around. The Knights of the Underworld all screeched as something took them all down at once, a purple cloud rising into the air.

That boom…

They hadn't realized the rain had stopped until it became deadly silent, the only sound being of their panting, and the sound of shoes tapping the rocky, muddy ground beneath them.

Shadow gaped.

Two new figures stood before them.

One of them, took him completely off guard. A black and red hedgehog like himself, wearing onyx armor and wielding a large, sharp, dangerous sword.

The other one was a cobalt blue hedgehog, a devious smirk on his face, his emerald eyes bright, a golden crown on his head, a golden gauntlet on his hand that held a long, silver and golden sword, a golden cuff on his shoulder and red cape attached to it…red and white shoes that seemed out of place in this medieval world.

All the knights immediately took a knee, as did the villagers around them. Some of the townspeople started crying and some of them laughed with joy.

This was the king.

Emerald eyes widened as they locked on to Shadow's ruby red ones.

He felt his energy.

"Sonic," Shadow forces out, not sure what to expect.

The knight by the hedgehog's side took a menacing step forward, as if ready to kill him on the spot.

"Wait, Lancelot," the blue hedgehog spoke. His voice was a perfect match, with a slight accent to it.

'Lancelot' pauses, giving the azure one a disapproving look.

"Gawain, explain," the king demands, and the red knight answers almost immediately.

"My lord, we found this hedgehog in the place of the explosion of light. He claims to be from another world, searching for someone dear to him."

Shadow gives him a slightly annoyed scowl. He never said Sonic was dear to him…

Sir Galahad looks up nervously. "Sire…he helped us fight off the Knights of the Underworld."

"Hold your tongue unless given permission to speak, Galahad," Lancelot says with a frown, but with no bitterness towards the younger hedgehog.

"It's fine," the blue hedgehog they were addressing interrupts. His eyes meet Shadow's, and he tilts his head slightly to one side.

"If this is true, I need to know it for sure," he says with a serious frown. Not something he was used to seeing from someone like Sonic. "I've had too many _fakes_ attacking me as of late. I have no reason to trust you."

Fakes…

It was a test.

A stupid, simple test.

It made Shadow smirk.

"I can assure you I'm not a _faker,"_ he answers, and something glinted in those emerald eyes.

The blue hedgehog smiles.

It was him.

"Shadow…" he shakes his head. "How the hell did you get into Camelot?"


	3. 3 - Ow, the Edge

**Chapter Three – Ow, the Edge**

"Camelot?" Shadow questions, slightly startled. He knew that name, but still his mind drew a blank.

Sonic, somehow the king, raises a brow at him. "Camelot. You know, from King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table?"

Oh.

_Oh._

So…he did know what this place was. King Arthur was a story Maria loved dearly, one that they both read together quite frequently on the ARK. No wonder everything sounded so familiar to him. That still didn't answer how, though.

"I don't understand," the biohog admits with slightly narrowed eyes. "This alternate dimension is a story book?"

Sonic smirks, chuckling as he motions for his knights to stand. "Sort of, kind of. There's a lot different about this world than the actual story itself. For example, Arthur was never real."

As the knights stood up, Shadow felt himself go through a loop. Now he was really lost. "What do you mean?"

The cobalt king smiles at him, just seeing the confusion written all over the Ultimate Lifeform's face. "It's…a long story, no pun intended. I'll explain everything to you, but first I want to check on everyone and see if they're all okay." He turns to his knights, waving at them. "Look for anyone with injuries and get me a damage estimate. We'll most likely have to send everyone to the closest village for support."

The knights bow their heads before they take off, leaving Sonic, Shadow, and Lancelot.

Speaking of the dark knight, Sonic turns to him and lifts up his visor, revealing his ruby red eyes. "That means you too, mister," he smiles.

Something about it unnerved Shadow. This was the knight that never left Sonic's side? Why? Sonic seemed a bit more relaxed around this one than his other knights, a bit more playful and less serious. A slight red tint to Lancelot's muzzle was just noticeable as well, further irking Shadow's train of thought. Now that he really thought about it, how was Sonic even king?

"I do not believe that is a great idea, my lord," Lancelot replied, a bit flustered.

Sonic raises a brow at him, his eyelids falling halfway. "Oh? Why not?" he leans a bit closer, causing the dark one to step backwards awkwardly. Sonic could easily destroy this knight's demeanor, and that in itself was questionable.

"There…" Lancelot starts a bit hesitantly. "There may be more of them around, or Sir Mordred could be—"

"Lancelot," Sonic interrupts. "Go help the others. I'm fine, and you know it."

The knight stares at him for a moment, before bowing his head slightly. "Yes, sire."

As he turns around, he glares openly at Shadow, walking passed him with a bit of a stomp to his step.

Sonic chuckles dryly, shaking his head. "Does he remind you of anyone?"

Shadow gave the blue hero a warning look. "How did you end up king, exactly?"

The sapphire male grins and wipes the side of his nose with his thumb. "As I said, I'll explain later. Right now, I have work to do. Stay here for a second, 'kay?"

Shadow doesn't even get to answer, as Sonic turns and disappears in a flash of blue, most likely to help the villagers as well.

He stood there for a second, brooding about everything that had just happened within the past hour.

What the hell did he get himself into?

* * *

"Yeah, that's pretty much the gist of it," Sonic smirks, holding out a glass of red wine to the black and red hedgehog.

It was all so much.

After the defeat of King Arthur, Sonic took the crown to rebuild the kingdom and help everyone recover. As he was trying to find a new king so he could leave, Sonic had the honor of meeting Arthur's brother and sister, Sir Mordred, and Morgan le Fey. Like Arthur, they were apparitions created during the same time as Arthur. They each went their separate ways when Arthur became king, their power outmatched by his. After Arthur's defeat, both siblings showed up, challenging to take the kingdom from Sonic and plunge the world of Camelot into darkness. Morgan le Fey had the power of dark magic, and could create portals to release the Knights of the Underworld, as well as create clones of anyone she wished. Sir Mordred was ruthless and powerful, and wanted the crown more than anything.

Sonic was forced to stay in Camelot, fighting a war between the two siblings.

As Sonic explained all this to him, they sat in the grand office of the king, with it's large, arching window overlooking the kingdom, the dark brown cherry wood desk, polished and smooth. Book cases lined the walls on either side of the room, filled with books and scrolls of many different things. There was a small bar behind the desk, and a large, red chair that looked comfier than Shadow's bed at Club Rouge. He himself sat in one of the two chairs on the other side of the desk, red as well, his one leg crossed over the other, his foot resting on the red carpet that sat atop a wooden floor. He took the glass Sonic offered him, surprised the blue hero would offer him alcohol of all things. Even though it didn't effect either one of them because of their Chaos Energy, the taste wasn't something Shadow would expect the childish hero to enjoy.

"I find it hard to believe that this has all happened within three weeks time," Shadow stated, giving the king a suspicious look.

Sonic's eyes widen as he turns around, his own glass in hand. "Three weeks? Is that how much time has passed on Mobius?"

Shadow nods. "Yes. How much time has passed since you've arrived here?"

The cobalt male sits down on the large chair behind the desk, swirling the wine around in his glass. "About three months," he answers with a sideways grin.

Shadow couldn't hide the surprised expression on his face. "And you just assumed time here moved faster than on Mobius?"

"Oh, I knew it did," Sonic answers. "Merlina told me she didn't know the time difference, but she knew it moved faster than on Mobius."

The ebony biohog only gives his counterpart an odd look. "At least I know why your energy is so low, and why you have an accent."

Sonic blinks in surprise. "I…knew my energy was getting pretty low, but I have an accent?"

Shadow nods, feeling himself smirk. "Yes, it's quite amusing."

Sonic couldn't help but chuckle and shake his head, putting his half-empty glass on the desk. "Wow, I never even noticed. Guess it just rubbed off on me."

Shadow tilts his head slightly. "The hedgehog that looks like Silver, Galahad… I believe your own accent rubbed off on him."

The blue speedster took that into consideration. "He hangs out with me a lot. Did you know he's Lancelot's adopted son?"

"What?" the Ultimate Lifeform blinked, taken aback. Sonic nods, smiling.

"Yeah. His mother died in childbirth, and his father disappeared one day and never returned. Lancelot found him while searching through a village, and knighted him himself," the king explains, resting his elbow on the desk, supporting his head with his hand. "He's only thirteen. Since Lancelot is always with me, we both train him together."

"Why is that," Shadow asks. "Why is he always with you?"

Sonic raises a brow. "Jealous?" When Shadow gives him a dark glare, he laughs lightly. "Well, before Arthur went crazy, he looked like me. I guess you could say he was my counterpart of this world."

This was surprising news. Shadow listened as he continued to explain.

"Arthur took Lancelot under his wing, and they both trained and grew up together, to say the least. He was always the closest to Arthur, and after he found out that his king was a fake, he kind of grew upset and angry. He stays with me to make sure I'm always safe. He's very protective, if I must add."

"So the same thing doesn't happen twice," Shadow concluded. Sonic nodded.

"Yeah, that's one way of looking at it."

Shadow glanced at the desk Sonic leaned on, noticing the stack of papers and the few books lying on top of it. "What is all of that?"

Sonic glares somewhat at it. "Stuff I still need to go through. Not used to having a crown on my head. It's nearly the same as the normal hero work, but involves politics and paper."

"What are you going to do when you leave?" Shadow couldn't help but ask. "Who will take your place?"

The hedgehog sighed, rubbing his eyes with both of his hands. "I have someone in mind, but I haven't gotten that far yet. As far as I am concerned, Mordred and Le Fey are bigger problems to worry about."

Looking at the glass in his hand, Shadow raises a brow. "Whose counterparts' are they?"

He looks up at the blue hedgehog, watching his triangular ears pin back. "I…don't know." The way he said it made Shadow believe otherwise. He seemed really bothered about it.

A knock on the office doors sounded through the quiet room, and Sonic sighs.

"Come in," he calls.

One of the doors push open, and Shadow tilts his head slightly. A black and red armadillo stepped in the room, his armor black and his visor pushed up out of his eyes.

"My lord," he greets, and Sonic smiles softly at him.

"Sir Tristan. Have you found Sir Gaheris?"

The armadillo smiles and nods, stepping aside to reveal 'Gaheris.'

Shadow froze.

The white bat was just as voluptuous as her prime counterpart, her armor even revealing her crevice for all to see. Her armor was a navy blue, a yellow gem placed right in between her large breasts. The armor flared out at her hips like a tunic, and she wore black undergarments underneath.

"Hello, my king. As handsome as ever," she greets in her low, sultry voice. Her eyes fall on Shadow, and she raises a brow. "I take it this is Shadow?"

Sonic nods, rolling his eyes. "Yes, Sir Gaheris. He'll be staying with us until I return home."

Gaheris… wasn't Gaheris a male in the stories? He was known for being handsome and flirtatious in most versions of the stories. It made sense why Rouge would be this knight in Camelot. Then again, Percival was also male in the stories, yet the cat was most definitely female…

"On more important matters," Sonic continued, sitting up in his chair, leaning back comfortably. "Did you find anything?"

The bat nods, smirking in slight pride of herself. "Yes, actually. From what I have seen, it appears Sir Mordred is planning on making his attack in one month exact."

Sonic sneers slightly, obviously annoyed by this. "Wonderful," he grumbles.

Gaheris gives her king a sympathetic look. "I have full confidence in you, my lord, that you will guide us to victory."

Her voice was firm and her tone was true. She truly believed in him.

Sonic's gaze softens, and he smiles. "Thank you. You both are dismissed."

The two knights bow their heads before turning to leave.

Shadow watches Sonic sigh, shaking his head, his smile fading. "I have a month to stop them…"

"That's quite a long time," Shadow comments with a small frown.

Sonic shrugs. "It is, but it isn't. There's just so much I need to do. I want to take them down before they send an army to destroy Camelot. We've just now finished rebuilding it."

He was stressed, Shadow could tell. He watches the hero pick up his glass of wine, finishing it off before standing and putting it on the bar counter.

"So, since you're here, and can't leave until I do," Sonic starts, turning to face his counterpart, "here's what we're gonna do…"

He walks over to the other chair beside Shadow and sits in it. "You can't keep using your Chaos Energy in this world. I'm going to have to teach you how to use a sword. It's the only thing that can take those monsters out."

Shadow wondered how hard that could be, as Sonic continued.

"We're also going to have to get something for you to wear, so people don't mistake you for Lancelot."

That one Shadow was slightly against.

"And, everything I say goes. I'm not just saying that because I have a crown on my head, but I need you to listen to me. This world is very sensitive about certain things, and I don't want the people doubting me."

"That's fine," Shadow responds, understanding. Sonic smiles, and he let out a breath of relief.

"Good. I do have one question though," he then frowns. "How did you get here, and why were you looking for me?"

With everything that was going on, Shadow almost completely forgot about all of it.

"As I said, you've been missing for three weeks. The Resistance is panicking because of it, and I was put in charge of finding you. Tails also asked me personally to find you."

Sonic's eyes widen, and guilt flashed in those emerald green eyes. Shadow could tell his words stung, but they were the truth. "The doctor is still in hiding, so nothing's happened. Everything is fine, but people feel safer when you're around."

That seemed to ease the concerned expression on Sonic's face. With what seemed like his hundredth sigh, he nods, putting his face in his hands. "As long as everything's okay. I want to go home, I really do, but I can't just leave a world abandoned to be destroyed, especially when I know I can do something about it."

Shadow felt a bit of empathy for the blue hero. Sonic would never forgive himself if he let innocent people die like that. He just wouldn't be able to get over it.

Now that he really looked at the azure mobian, he noticed that stress was taking it's toll on him. His bright blue pelt wasn't as bright as it should be, his quills were a bit out of place, and his whole body seemed to droop with exhaustion. Even his normally sparkling emerald eyes were dull and void of energy. He had dark circles just noticeable under his eyes, and his eyelids were heavy.

"When was the last time you've slept?" Shadow can't help but ask, catching the other's attention.

"Ummm…" Sonic scratches behind one of his blue ears. "I…honestly don't remember."

Shadow shakes his head in disbelief. Sonic was going to be the death of himself. Not robots or G.U.N. trucks or water or earth gods… Himself.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping to conserve your energy?"

His counterpart gives him a lopsided grin. "Wow, you sound genuinely concerned for me, faker."

Shadow glares at him, one of his ears bending backwards. "I can't exactly leave here if you're dead, and I don't feel like dealing with your friends if you die because you don't know how to take care of yourself."

Sonic rolls his eyes. "Nah, I think you're just worried about me." When Shadow shakes his head in irritation, the king laughs lightly. "Alright, yeah I need some sleep. I have a few things to take care of first, and then I'll go to bed. Happy?"

Shadow doesn't say anything, just watches as the hedgehog stands up and motions for him to follow.

"Now come on. Let's get you a sword."

* * *

Shadow had to admit he was impressed. Sonic seemed to be handling the responsibility of a kingdom very well, besides his lack of self-care. As the blue hero and now king guided him through the halls of the castle, Shadow watched as knights would bow to him, nod to him, and he would smile and wave them off. He obviously didn't like the title he had on his name, nor the way people treated him because of it.

Entering the east wing of the castle, the two run into both Lancelot and Percival, the two knights talking quietly amongst themselves. At seeing their king, they turn and bow slightly to him, causing him to chuckle dryly.

"Is Sir Bedivere in there?" Sonic asks, and as the two nod, he smiles. "Good."

As they walked passed, Shadow met Lancelot's eyes. Again, his counterpart glared at him, and he had a feeling there was something more than 'protectiveness' just under the surface of the dark hedgehog.

He simply glared back.

Following Sonic, he steps into what appears to be a large blacksmith's shop, filled with all kinds of weapons, a large furnace, the smell of melted metals and the piercing of forging gems into blades.

"Bedivere!" the sapphire hero calls out, searching the workers and customers.

A two-tailed, yellow fox seems to run from nowhere, smiling brightly as he greeted them.

Bedivere was Tails's counterpart, which made some level of sense to Shadow. Although, wasn't Bedivere a knight? Then again, this was an alternate dimension.

It was too loud in here to understand what Sonic was saying to the young fox, and as he watched, the fox continuously looked over at Shadow, nodding and responding to the hero.

With a final okay from Bedivere, the fox was turning on his heels, disappearing behind a counter and through a small gather of people.

Stepping a bit closer to Shadow so he could hear him, Sonic smiles. "Bedivere owned a small blacksmith's shop down in the town, and after I defeated Arthur I brought him up here. Taught him how to use the swords he made, made him a knight, and made sure he had plenty of business to make a name for himself."

Shadow felt himself smirk some. Of course Sonic would favor any counterpart of Tails.

"He's getting you a practice sword for now. I'll give you a better one later," Sonic continues.

At that, he gave the hero a skeptical look. As curious as he was to see this 'practice sword,' he didn't want something childish to make him look ridiculous.

Sonic laughs at his reaction. "Don't worry, I'm not giving you a wooden toy sword."

"I would have killed you with it all the same," Shadow mutters, looking away. Sonic only chuckled.

It didn't take too much longer for Bedivere to return with a sheathed sword, holding it out to Sonic with a smile. "Here you go," he chirps.

Sonic smiles and thanks the fox, before grabbing for Shadow's arm and pulling him out of the chaotic shop. Percival was gone, but Lancelot was still standing there. Sonic motions for him to follow behind as he turns to his rival beside him.

"Alright, I'm giving you this for now," he says, offering the sword to Shadow. The scabbard itself seemed pretty bland, silver metal with a few golden designs on it. It covered at least half of the handle of the sword itself, which was made of gold and copper. "I want to find you something to wear and then get you a room to yourself."

Shadow frowned, glancing back at the knight walking behind them, before looking back at his blue rival. "Is that really necessary?"

Sonic laughs. "Hey, if they're making me wear a crown and cape every time I go out, you're definitely going to wear something. Besides, I can't have people mistaking you for Lancelot. That would cause more problems than its worth."

As much as he hated to admit it, he knew he couldn't argue with the azure mobian. He hums but doesn't say much, and Sonic's voice softens some.

"Don't worry too much about it. I won't make you wear pants."

* * *

It came down to a black leather jacket with a hood, with a leather belt around the middle of it. It had numerous pockets inside and out, and the hood was big enough to go over Shadow's quills. It was a bit longer than he liked, almost tunic length, but it was flexible and not obnoxious, and Sonic said it was okay. He gave the black and red hedgehog a fair amount of this world's currency, just in case he wanted anything. He told him to not linger in more populous places for too long, unless Sonic or Lancelot was with him. He seemed a bit paranoid about people mistaking the two dark hedgehogs, making Shadow wonder why. It could cause problems, yes, but it wasn't that big of a deal.

Then again, it wasn't like he knew much about this place anyway.

The slice of metal jolted him out of his thoughts.

Where…did his sword go?

Sonic laughs at his surprise, shaking his head.

"You okay there, bud?"

He turns and looks around for the damned weapon, more used to guns than swords. It…somehow was all the way across the field they were practicing on.

How?

The sound of steps toward him brought his attention back to the blue hedgehog, who stuck his own sword in the ground some to keep it standing, before walking to stand right in front of him.

"Go get your sword and let's try that again."

Shadow expected the hero to be cocky and arrogant like they were during most of their fights, but…he wasn't. His voice was soft and his tone firm, like any mentor would be. It irritated him but intrigued him at the same time.

With a huff, the black and red hedgehog turns and treads over to his sword, pulling it out of the ground, still confused as to how exactly it happened. He turns back and walks back up to the hero, who took a step forward to meet him.

"Here," the king starts, reaching to grab the hand the biohog had on the handle of the weapon. "Hold it out like this," he guides the other's sword to where it was diagonal between them, facing flat out. "Then take your other hand," he grabs Shadow's other wrist and pulls it up, "and lay it flat on the sword here," he instructs, putting his hand like so. A bit too much touching, a bit too close for Shadow's liking.

Sonic smirks, taking a step back. "When two blades meet at the same time, this is what you want to do. Keep your sword balanced, and try to outweigh the other one. If you can, you want to knock the sword out of their hand."

He steps back one more, grabbing Caliburn from the ground and holding the blade out to point towards his rival. "Let's try it, shall we?"

Trying to ignore the fact that Sonic's accent was just too interesting, he nods, ready for the challenge.

Sonic smirks again, running forward almost too fast for Shadow to prepare for. He does as he's instructed, and to Sonic's delight, he caught and balanced out the weight of Caliburn with ease.

Somewhat.

"Not bad," Sonic chirped.

Shadow huffs. "It's not exactly a challenge, faker."

A short, husky chuckle left the king's lips.

"That's the problem, stripes, I haven't taught you everything."

..and there goes his sword, once more, sailing through the air into nearly the same spot it had landed before.

Again, he was asking…_how?!_

The sound of a sword being sheathed brought his attention back to his 'mentor.' Sonic wasn't smiling or grinning like he usually did, but had an actual frown on his face. He seemed bothered by something.

"Go get it," he repeats as he did before. "I can't be out this late. We'll continue this tomorrow."

Something about the way Sonic ordered him, the strict tone underlining the surface of his words…somehow Shadow couldn't say no. This side of Sonic was unlike anything he had ever seen from the normally goody-two-shoes he had learned to know. It was…different, but…

He shakes the confusing thoughts from his head as he goes to, once again, retrieve his sword. He had to admit to himself that this wasn't as easy to learn as he thought it would be. He usually fought in one of two ways: by a gun in his hands, or using his fists. Never a melee weapon such as a _sword_. How Sonic was so professional about it was beyond him.

He turns and sees the hedgehog himself standing and waiting for him. Putting the cheap sword in its sheathe, he follows as Sonic waves him along, their feet finding the stone pavement that would lead to the castle.

"Why the curfew?" he has to ask, his curiosity killing him. Sonic gives him a gentle smile, something Shadow was seeing a lot now.

"Morgan's energy is stronger at night. She thrives on the darkness." He pauses as he nods towards Lancelot, who stood waiting for the two near the back castle gates. "Lance, Gawain and I made the mistake of heading out one night. I don't think any fight of mine ever lasted longer than that one did. We were fighting for over an hour or more, before Gawain and I were injured and we had to make a retreat."

He sounded embarrassed and somber at the same time. Another thing unusual for the hero.

It did sound bad, however. Shadow frowns, his brows furrowing some in thought. "Have you met her or Mordred face to face yet?"

Again, those blue ears pinned back, and that uncomfortable look crossed the king's face. "Yes," he answers simply, but the Ultimate Lifeform can tell there's something heavily bothering him about it. "I met Mordred when he attacked the castle. Right in the throne room, the bastard. None of us were expecting it at all. He just…warped right in. Nearly killed Lamorak and Triston, and injured at least everyone else."

He sounded so…angry about it. It was the first time Shadow had ever heard a cuss slip from the hedgehog, as well as hear his voice so dark and bitter.

"They're powerful, then," he assumes, and Sonic nods.

"They can be stopped," Sonic answers, "but I wouldn't underestimate them."

"My lord," Lancelot speaks as they walk up to him. "Merlina is awaiting you."

Sonic holds up a hand, giving him a weak smile. "Yeah, yeah I know. Do me a favor, will you, and give Shadow a room near mine?"

Lancelot nods, bowing his head slightly. Shadow gives his rival a confused look, to which Sonic answers immediately.

"Merlina has this…spell thing she's been doing to me to keep my Chaos energy in check. I'm not getting any energy, but it's slowing my consumption down enough to last me."

He can't help but frown at this explanation. "Is that safe?"

The sapphire shrugs. "It's keeping me alive, that's for sure. Go with Lance. I'll come find you in the morning."

The onyx hedgehog doesn't even get a chance to respond, before Sonic is gone, leaving him alone with his brooding counterpart.

Lancelot's voice seemed to get lower just speaking with Shadow. "Follow me, then."

With a light scoff, Shadow does.

They made their way through the castle, down to the west wing where the living quarters were located. Giving the knight a weary look, Shadow decides to get some information out of him.

"He's not acting right," he starts. "What's wrong with him?"

Lancelot doesn't look back as he answers. "There has been a large amount of stress since Mordred and Le Fey have returned, and unfortunately he is taking the heavy blunt of it."

Shadow scowls. "He hasn't been taking care of himself. His energy levels are dangerously low, and he needs to get home as soon as possible."

At this, the knight turns and gives him a small glare. "We've been doing as much as we can for him. He refuses to allow us to aid him and is more concerned with what needs to be done for everyone else."

The crimson striped hedgehog only glares back. "You don't realize the danger he's in right now. His body breathes Chaos like you breathe air. If he does not return home soon, he will fall into a deadly coma."

This seems to fire the knight up a bit. "I'm well aware of that, however there is nothing we can do aside from what we already have."

They stop outside a bedroom door, one Shadow assumes is his. He steps in front of the knight, his eyes narrowing sharply, his voice a warning. "I'm not going to let him die for this world," he practically snarls. "There are people on _his_ world, his _home, _that are waiting for him."

Lancelot's ruby eyes were just as electrocuting as his own. "If you think I would let anything happen to him, you are highly mistaken, _sir. _I would willingly let this world die _myself_ for his life to live on." Taking a step forward, his voice turns into a growl of warning. "I have been, and I will continue to protect him with my life, and as far as I am concerned, you are just as much of a threat, as any stranger would be."

The tension between the two could kill a flock of people in an instant. They only stood a foot apart, their eyes burning into each others as if looks could kill.

"Sir Lancelot," a female voice calls, and with one last second, the knight turns and acknowledges the purple cat approaching him. "Sir Galahad is looking for you."

She gives Shadow a look that could be described as sympathetic, before leading the dark knight away.

Shadow stands there for a minute more, going over their heated conversation in his head.

He had a feeling Lancelot was going to be a problem from here on out.


	4. 4 - Shadow Can Blush

**Chapter Four - Shadow Can Blush**

With a frown Shadow cautiously peeks around the corner, watching both hedgehogs walk slowly and talk quietly as they proceeded down the hallway. He could just barely catch their words, thankful that the Professor gave him outstanding hearing capabilities.

"You don't have to worry, Lance," Sonic was saying, voice sincere. "It's really him. You can't fake a Chaos Energy Signature. It's impossible. I know you can't trust him and all, but leave him alone, okay?"

Obviously talking about him, Shadow thought with a frown.

Lancelot had a deep frown on his muzzle, seemingly uncomfortable. "I can't do that."

Sonic stops and sighs, running a hand over his face. "Lancelot, I've known Shadow for a long time, now. Yeah, sometimes he makes bad decisions, we all do, but he's a good guy, down to heart, and I know he would never hurt me or anyone that didn't deserve it for any reason at all. He came here to find me and bring me home. He's staying to help us finish this war. You're going to have to deal with it."

The knight only nods curtly, unhappy but left with no choice but to follow his king's orders. "Yes, sire."

"Stop calling me that," Sonic grinned weakly. "Come on," he waves him to follow him again, and the darker hedgehog does, as the hero continues: "Shadow probably _will _kill me if I don't get any sleep."

He watches them continue down, making a right turn down the hall.

"Shadow?"

The black and red hedgehog turns and frowns at the silver hedgehog approaching him, crossing his arms. "Galahad."

The knight nods towards where Sonic and Lancelot had gone. "My father isn't very trusting, so he may not be so friendly with you."

Shadow scoffs, turning away to look down the hall again. "It's fair. I'd be the same way were it the other way around."

Galahad smiles. "He's also really protective of King Sonic, so if he seems like he's being too harsh, it's just because he's doing what he feels he should."

Looking back at the younger hedgehog, Shadow raises a brow. "I still don't understand why."

The ivory male shrugs. "It's a mixture of a few things. One reason is because of what happened to the last King, who my father was really close with. Then, when King Sonic fought the Dark Queen, he got hurt pretty bad. They thought he was going to die…"

Shadow blinks, his eyes widening slightly. Of course Sonic wouldn't tell him that, he thinks bitterly. It was that stupid ego of his.

Not like Shadow would admit it, either, though.

"So your father feels responsible for making sure the past doesn't repeat itself," Shadow considered. Galahad nods.

"You could say something like that," he answers. "Just don't take anything he does or says to you personally."

Shadow raises a brow, almost scoffing. "I think I'll be fine."

The silver knight blinks at him, tilting his head slightly. "So…King Sonic is important on your world, too?"

The red-streaked hedgehog shrugs, looking away. "He is. He's the one responsible for keeping our world at peace."

Galahad smiles. "Is he royalty there, too?"

Shadow's narrows his eyes slightly. "Not that I'm aware of…"

The knight stares at him as if in doubt, before looking away. "He seems like he is…" he murmurs, before shrugging it off. "Oh! I just remembered!" The knight turns around and starts running down the hallway, waving to Shadow. "I have to meet up with Sir Lamorak! See you tomorrow!"

Shadow watches the knight run off, standing there with a frown. He supposed he should go to bed as well, figuring Sonic would wake him in the morning.

* * *

Sonic smirked, leaning on the handle of his sword with an elbow, his other hand on his hip as he watched Shadow pick up his sword for the third time in the past hour. The dark hedgehog gave him a dark look, but there was a hint of red tinting his tan muzzle. He didn't think he'd ever seen Shadow embarrassed before. He almost commented on it, but held his tongue. No need to shave his sense of pride.

"Come on, let's try that again," he says instead, causing Shadow's brows to furrow.

He was half aggravated, half indulged. Sonic had a whole different persona when it came to teaching him the ways of a sword, and it was interesting to see. It almost made the bites at his ego a little less painful. Sonic was surprisingly patient, and he never once made a comment to tease or insult him.

He was shockingly a great teacher.

Holding up his sword again, he raises a questioning brow at Sonic, who winks and grabs his own weapon. "Try not to think too hard," he says, causing Shadow to frown at him. "This isn't like every one of our fights. Don't try to guess what I'm going to do, because I can literally do anything." He holds his sword out, gesturing for Shadow to do the same. "If you have to go on the defensive, do it. You may not be able to predict anything, but you can't aimlessly attack, either. Just watch for an opening and go for it. Don't double think yourself and follow your gut."

Shadow's brows furrow, taking his words into consideration, before Sonic nods. "This time I'll wait for you, but next time I won't."

So he was giving him an easy shot, now… Shadow thinks back to what he's done before. He would charge him, and the hero would find a way to dodge him and fling his sword out of his hands. Maybe…if he charged him but didn't actually attack…

He suddenly jumps forward, causing Sonic to brace for the attack, but…it never happened. Sonic caught on immediately what his plan was and smirked, knowing exactly what Shadow was thinking. He steps back as the dark hog lands in front of him, instead of swinging his sword, jutting out an elbow. Sonic sidesteps it and _just_ dances over Shadow's feet, causing the biohog to inwardly curse at the failed attempt to distract him. Sonic's footing seemed a little off, however, and he decides to take the risk at swinging his own sword at the hero's side. He doesn't expect Sonic to completely block it, holding his sword up just in time to block the hit.

They weren't exactly at the best angle here. Sonic was holding his sword more towards his left side, while Shadow was leaning to the right. Both fighting with their non-dominant sides, faces inches apart. Sonic raised a brow and smirked at him, before Shadow felt himself slipping. Sonic took a step forward, and then did something unspeakable.

Shadow couldn't even comprehend what was happening until Sonic's nose was touching his own, the king leaning practically over him now with a devious grin.

"You're cute when you don't know what to do with yourself," he said.

The Ultimate Lifeform's mouth fell open, his face reddening. Did Sonic just-?! He just-?!

…and then he was falling backwards, his back hitting the grassy ground and his sword falling beside him. His breath leaves him in a curse, before he snaps his teeth shut grits them tightly. He looks up with narrowed eyes and shrunken pupils at the hedgehog standing over him, the point of his sword less than an inch away from his throat. Sonic loomed over him with a small frown on his face. "I told you I could do anything. I _am_ proud of you for getting this far, though."

What was that?! Shadow could only stare blankly as Sonic pulled his sword away and offered him his hand. With a frown, he reaches up and takes it, not sure what to think of the whole situation. Had Sonic said that just to mess with him, or…

The blue hero turns away, sheathing his sword. "It took me a little while to get it right. When I first fought Lancelot I felt stupid because he was so much better than me and I had no idea what I was doing. Then I kicked his ass." He turns his head and offers him a grin. "You're a lot smarter than me so I'm sure you'll get the knick of this a lot better."

Now he was…complimenting him? Shadow tried to form words but couldn't. He had no idea what to say or do. One moment Sonic was overpowering him, the next he was flirting with him, and then the next…

This wasn't something he was used to. Sonic never acted like this…did he? Was this normal?

"Sonic!"

Their attention is caught by the sound of a girl's voice. The two look towards the castle to see a young human with long, pink hair and deep blue eyes. Shadow raises a brow, studying her as she walked up to them. She wore magenta robes and carried a staff with a large, crystal ball on top. Sonic smiles brightly at her, stepping over so she and Shadow can meet.

"Shads, this is Merlina, the wizard I told you about. Merlina, this is Shadow," he says cheerfully.

_'Shads?'_ the black and red hedgehog blinks. Since when did…?

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the girl says with a smile. "Sonic has mentioned you quite a bit."

The striped hog quirks an ear at that, glancing over at Sonic who turned his head away immediately with a nervous smile. He puts it aside for later in his head and shakes the girl's hand. "You're the one that brought him here?" he asks, not sure what else to say. Merlina's smile is warm and friendly.

"Yes. The spell I used to call him here was one my grandfather had taught me. He told me to use it when I felt it was the right time. Of course," she says, turning to smile at Sonic, who winked back at her. "It was most certainly the perfect time."

He noticed she didn't give him any titles to his name. Most likely because they were close, he assumed. If what Sonic told him about her was true, then she probably felt as if she owed him anything he would ever ask for.

"Did you need me for something?" Sonic asks then, bringing her back to the matter at hand.

She gives him a stink eye, smirking with a disapproving look in her eye. "Did you forget?"

"Forget what?" he deadpans, frowning. "Did I forget something?"

She rolls her eyes at him, pointing towards the castle. "You wanted to have a meeting with the Knights of the Round table today."

Sonic's mouth falls into an o, before he laughs and scratches the back of his head. "Whoops. I guess I did forget." Turning to Shadow, he smiles. "You should probably come with me, then. I want to go over the plan for our current issue with Mordred and Le Fay."

Shadow nods, not seeing any other reason to not go. He was stuck here until Sonic could go home anyway, so he may as well help in any way he could.

* * *

The hedgehog leans back in his makeshift throne, glaring at the crystal ball in front of him. So Sir Lancelot has a twin, just as this 'Sonic' did with Arthur. He wondered what the differences between the two were. Sonic's personality was quite different than Arthur's had been at times, but there were also times he would recognize characteristics of his brother immediately in him.

Either way, it shouldn't be too large of an issue. This Shadow person didn't seem too special, and if he was just like Lancelot, than he shouldn't be too much of a hassle to deal with. He could always find a way to confront him and test him himself.

…and if this Shadow meant anything to Sonic, then he could use him as bait.

* * *

"We have one month to prepare for Mordred and Le Fay to attack," Sonic stated with a frown. Shadow stood back beside Merlina in the back of the room, watching curiously. Seeing this side of Sonic was yet still quite interesting to him. The knights all around the table Sonic was standing at, stood at attention and listened closely to their king.

"Now, I'm not sure yet _how _Mordred plans to attack. What I do know is that most of his power comes from his sister. Taking her out of the equation will leave him completely defenseless, and without an army. We need to figure out what Morgan's weakness is and go for her first."

The knights nod all around, as Sonic continues. "In the event they are to attack the town and storm the castle, I want all the citizens evacuated to the town beside the Mystic Lake. Percival," he addresses the knight. "You will be in charge of setting up a means of quick travel and organizing the evacuation. You'll also be taking them to the town."

The cat nods as Sonic goes on. "While Percival is evacuating everyone and getting them out of here, Lamorak and Galahad will cover her and the people. There's going to be those monsters appearing everywhere, and our biggest priority is protecting the people."

The other two knight's mentioned nod in agreement, before all the others do as well.

"Mordred is going to try and come after me, so I'll appease him and distract him. Lancelot and Gawain, I want you two to hunt down Morgan and take her down. Merlina will go with you to protect you from her magic."

At this the knights all blink in shock.

"I mean no disrespect, sire, but…" Percival starts nervously, "but you're going to fight Sir Mordred on your own?"

Sonic smirks. "I won't be alone. Thankfully Shadow decided to show up at the best time possible, so he'll be with me," he says, turning to give the dark hog himself a thumbs up. Shadow nods, not sure why Sonic wanting him to be with him made him feel…good for some reason. Over all of his knights, which were far more skilled with a sword than he was, Sonic chose him.

When Sonic looked back at his knights, he could tell they wanted to argue. "Don't worry about it," the king says. "Shadow and I have fought creatures beyond your guys' imagination and came out fine. He's got my back, so you don't have to worry."

Again, a good feeling swept through him that he couldn't understand. It felt similar to when Maria would cover him when Gerald was upset with him. Why he felt this way when Sonic talked about him like this, he had no idea. He wasn't sure how to process this.

Then, he noticed Lancelot glaring at him.

He wasn't sure why he raised a challenging brow and smirked at him, wasn't sure why it felt even better to watch the knight get visibly pissed because of it, and he wasn't sure why the knight was even jealous to begin with. Lancelot turned away, fuming inwardly, while Shadow continued to smirk.

Maybe Sonic thought he was more capable than Lancelot, he thought to himself. Maybe the knight just wanted to be with his king in the final battle. He thought about all the interactions he's seen between the two, and how they were with each other. They didn't seem to be close, other than Lancelot's need to protect him. Then again…

Back when he first arrived here, and he had watched Sonic lift Lancelot's visor up to reveal his eyes, and the way the knight blushed because of it…

"_You're cute when you don't know what to do with yourself."_

Feeling his face heat up, he frowned and crossed his arms.

He was overthinking things, he told himself.

He tried to tell himself.


	5. 5 - A New Side to Sonic

**Chapter Five – A Different Side of Sonic?**

"I'm telling you I'll be fine," Sonic stated agitatedly, rubbing his forehead. "Nothing is going to go wrong."

Shadow watched from a dark corner, curious as to how this was going to go. Lancelot stood in front of his king, looking just as annoyed as he did.

"You don't know that," the knight was arguing. "Mordred is highly unpredictable. What if-?"

Shadow's eyes widen as he watches Sonic grab Lancelot by the shoulder and pin him against the wall behind him. Lancelot looked just as startled, while Sonic's eyes were narrowed – patience completely gone.

"Are you doubting me, Lancelot?" Sonic asks, his voice slightly darker than usual. The knight's eyes are wide as saucers as he shakes his head.

"N-No, sire, I just…"

"Then I don't have to show you how capable I am of taking care of myself, do I?" the king cuts him off, sounding unlike anything Shadow had heard from him before. He actually sounded _menacing. _Since when did Sonic get like this?

The knight opens his mouth as if to say something, but again is cut off, before he could even get anything out.

"You," Sonic starts, voice a bit quieter, "were seen as the greatest knight in this land, yes?"

The dark hedgehog in armor gives a shaky nod. Sonic smirks and leans just a bit closer, his other hand pressing against the wall beside Lancelot's head and practically trapping him there.

"And where are you now, Lance?" the king's voice is nearly a husky whisper at this point, his face leaning close to the other's ear and drawing a shiver through the knight's body.

"I-I understand…sire…." The knight murmurs, his muzzle a light red.

Shadow wasn't sure if he was more confused or startled.

When Galahad said that his father was close to the king, he didn't think about how close. This seemed…off. Sonic's Chaos Energy…also felt different. Darker… Just what was this world doing to the hero? This seemed out of the norm for Sonic…but was it? Shadow cursed himself for not paying better attention back home. Was this behavior normal for Sonic? He never got to know him that well… He knew Sonic's moods could go from happy-go-lucky to deathly angry given the right conditions, but he'd never seen him act like…this…

This…seemed almost predatory. It's almost exactly how the hero was acting earlier when they were sword training…

'_You're cute when you don't know what to do with yourself…'_

Sonic had that same smirk, same husky voice then, too.

Maybe his Chaos Energy was corrupted from being in a foreign world for so long, Shadow thinks. That was the only logical explanation. It corrupted and then corrupted him, which was why he was acting so weirdly.

Sonic had let Lancelot go and reached up with his hand that didn't wear the gauntlet. He grabs the knight's chin gently, lifting it up so the hedgehog's eyes would meet his own.

It was then Shadow noticed that Sonic was taller than Lancelot.

Was…he shorter than Sonic too? He never noticed it…but Sonic's shoes were rather flat compared to his bulky skates. Lancelot's armored shoes weren't as tall as Shadow's skates, but the knight still looked rather short standing right in front of Sonic.

The physical contact also alerted him. He watched as Sonic winked at the knight and his smirk softened some. "I'll be okay. Trust me, with Shadow with me, I'll be fine. He and I have fought some crazy things before together. Unless…" Sonic raises a brow at the knight and smirks again. "You're not really worried about me are you?"

"P-Pardon…?" Lancelot stammers, a look on his face as if he'd been caught red handed. Sonic's grin grows.

"Ohhh….I get it…" the king laughs lightly. "That's adorable, Lance, really."

The knight's muzzle turns redder than his stripes, his eyes narrowing slightly. "I don't understand…"

Sonic waves him away, grinning deviously. "You don't have to be _jealous _of Shadow," he says, causing the Ultimate Lifeform himself to blink in surprise. "Shadow _hates _me," Sonic continues, turning away with a small frown. "He's an ally, yeah, but he's only 'rescuing' me because his boss told him to. Plus I need to get home soon, anyway. They need me if something goes wrong…"

Shadow frowns deeply, his ears folding back. Is that what Sonic thought? He thought back to a time where the blue hero had called him a friend and he in turn and told him off for it. Sonic had looked at him with something that looked like hurt in his eyes, if only for a split second, before laughing it off and calling him an 'emo.'

"_I'm not your friend, and I never will be."_

"_Whatever, emo. You'd come searching for me if I ever went missing. You'd miss me."_

"_In your dreams, hedgehog."_

…but what was that about him being jealous?

Lancelot crosses his arms, frowning at his king. "You seem to know him quite well."

Sonic shrugs, leaning against the wall behind him where the hallway had ended. "Yeah, well…I've fought alongside him quite a bit. I thought we would be friends, and it seemed like we would be, until he suffered from amnesia and completely forgot about me. Now he just hates me, even after getting most of his memory back." He sounded disappointed about it, looking away. "That really doesn't matter, though," he shrugs again, as if it wasn't a bother to him. "He's not like you at all. He's quiet, gets angry too much, doesn't listen to what anyone says and does what he wants how he wants. He's also really gullible, and then stubborn. I've tried to get him to open up, but…like I said, he hates me. Not sure why. I just want to help."

The more Sonic talked the more Shadow questioned. Stubborn, yes…but gullible? Okay…_maybe_ on that one, he thinks bitterly. Between Eggman and Black Doom and then even G.U.N….even the Professor…all used him and manipulated him easily. It was a harsh secret he wanted to keep to himself, a mistake really, but apparently Sonic was observant.

'…_and he thinks I hate him…'_

Did he? No…he frowns. Annoyed, irritated, confused, aggravated, and…something else…but not hate. Possibly…at one point he had but…Sonic was too nice to hate for no reason. Too good, too pure.

Just like…

He shakes that thought from his head and watches Sonic smile warmly at the knight, grabbing his hand and pulling him gently down the hall. "Let's go run for a bit?" he says, raising a challenging brow at the knight, who in turn smirked back. They turn a corner and walk down the stairs to the main hall, leaving Shadow there with more questions than answers.

The sight of Sonic smiling so kindly at Lancelot bothered him, but he didn't get why.

* * *

He took the time to explore the castle and then the area outside of it. The castle sat on a massive cliff that loomed over the ocean, at the top of it a scenic courtyard where some knights were practicing their skills. The town itself wasn't the biggest, but it was decently sized. Walking through it with his hood up, he takes in the site of the people and things they did, curious as to what they actually were. They talked in a language that was unfamiliar to him, almost babbling about as they went through their routines and lively matters. Many of them were selling fruits and clothing in stalls along the brick roads, waving and smiling to everyone.

There were mobians, too, mostly as knights in armor walking around and keeping the peace. Most of them were working on the construction; rebuilding damaged homes and parts of the town's walls that had been destroyed…Shadow guessing from Sonic's fight with the Dark Queen.

Just outside the castle town was a forest that ran along the edge of the cliff, spreading for miles like a virus across the hilly landscape. Then there was the field on the either side of the castle that Sonic was training him in; a nice secluded spot surrounded by trees on one side and the castle's walls on the other. The one side of the field went over the cliff, quite a ways down to the ocean churning against the rocky wall.

He walked over to this spot and plopped down on the ground, pulling his hood down and frowning as he looked out over the horizon.

"Whatchya doing?"

He turns and looks up at Sonic, who smiled and winked playfully at him, sitting down beside him with their legs swinging over the edge.

"Looked around," the Ultimate Lifeform answers curtly, leaving out his annoying thought processes that always went back to Sonic no matter how much he tried to distract himself. Then he realized that Sonic was alone and raised a brow. "Where's Lancelot?"

The Blue Blur himself shrugs and leans back casually, smile still bright on his face. "With Galahad, training," he answers simply. "We take turns training him once a day."

"He's much younger than Silver," Shadow comments, but realizing how much smarter Galahad seemed.

"He is, but he's a good kid," Sonic yawns, before stretching his arms above his head. Shadow turned away, not sure why his face felt hot suddenly. "You gotta remember too, that Silver grew up in an apocalypse, this kid didn't."

"I suppose," Shadow frowns. He had a point, surprisingly. "He's already a knight…" he says, not sure himself if he was asking or not. Sonic nods.

"Like I said, he's a good kid. He learns quickly, and he's not as…naïve as Silver is," he smiles, closing his eyes as he relaxed in the sunlight. "It helps that both Lance and I are training him. There's things Lance doesn't know that I do, and vice versa."

"You seem to be handling all of this quite well, besides your lack of self-care," Shadow has to say, wanting to get a few answers from a few questions. Sonic opens one eye, raising a brow at him.

"What? Did you underestimate me?" The way he says it sounds borderline between a joke and an actual question, almost accusing.

He can't help the scoff as he answers. "Well, you've hardly seemed mature enough to handle all that responsibility."

Sonic puts a hand on his chest and mocks pain. "Ouch, my heart. Maybe you just never cared to get to know me?"

He winces internally at that, not sure why he felt so guilty all of a sudden. Yes, he had cursed himself multiple times as of late for not getting to know Sonic before being shocked into this…seemingly different persona. Still…he just…

"Maybe because you're overly annoying half the time," he only says, looking away again.

Sonic is quiet for a moment, letting the statement settle in for a second. He hears the hero sit up, feeling his heart stop when Sonic leans against his side; heat rising through his chest to his face and suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

"Well," Sonic starts quietly, giving him that same warm smile he had seen him give Lancelot earlier, "I have to counter all that grumpiness that you are half the time, otherwise you would just get overly dark and brooding."

He rolls his eyes but can't stop the erratic beating in his heart, or fix his inability to breathe. Fuck, why did he have to feel like this? He could already hear Rouge's jokes in the back of his head, talking about crushes and falling in-…

Sonic pulls away, lightly pushing the striped hedgehog's shoulder with a smirk. "You wanna practice while we're out here? I got nothing else to do right now, and you're the most entertaining thing that's happened to me for a while now."

Shadow blinks in surprise, his mind playing dirty tricks on him, twisting those words around until he felt the heat in his face increase tenfold and his heart jump into his throat.

'_What the hell is wrong with you? Pull yourself together, dammit…'_

He takes the hero's hand and lets himself be pulled up, nearly tripping up as Sonic pulled him just a bit closer to him than he expected, once again fighting an onslaught of heat in his face. He just hoped Sonic didn't notice…

Whether or not Sonic did, he didn't show it. He motioned for Shadow to follow him away from the cliff and towards the middle of the field, making the biohog raise a brow.

"I don't have my sword," he starts, to which Sonic dismisses immediately.

"You don't need a sword for this. I'm going to teach you how to dodge a blade without running away," he explains, causing Shadow to raise a brow. Dodging? Was it really that difficult?

Sonic turns on his heels then to stand in front of him, making him stop and frown. The hero draws his sword and smiles. "Sometimes you'll lose your sword and have to make do without until you get another one back. You never want to leave your opponent trying to get a new one, though."

"Even as fast as I can move?" Shadow asks with a frown, crossing his arms. Sonic laughs lightly.

"You leave for a second and your opponent is gone, Shads. Besides, some people of this world will tell you a knight never flees his foe," the hero winks, holding up his sword towards the dark hedgehog. "I want you to take my sword from me," he says now, more serious, "without being hurt in the process."

Shadow's brows furrow, his mind trying to comprehend how exactly he would do that. Sonic was fast, and with a sword in his hands he was nearly untouchable. Sonic was a master at this, compared to Shadow never even thinking about using a sword…

Holding up his fists to signify he was ready, Sonic nods and braces for the fight.

Shadow charges at him, feeling slightly empty without his own sword in his hands, but also just a bit more comfortable. He just barely dodges the swipe of a sword and wonders if Sonic might actually hurt him, taking a step back just as the sword is swung again. He holds up his wrists as the sword comes back at him, catching on the inhibitors on his wrist with a clang. Sonic raises a brow, seemingly interested by this fact, before smirking and jumping forward to kick the Ultimate Lifeform in the stomach.

Shadow curses, staggering back, ducking under another swing of blade and rolling to the side to avoid another. They danced around the field, one blur of blue and one of black, until Shadow managed to get a hit on the king's cheek and they jumped from one another. Sonic blinks, lifting a hand to his muzzle where Shadow's fist had hit, feeling the bruise and a slight cut from the impact. Shadow holds up his fists again, feeling a bit better now, smirking himself, watching Sonic's eyes go from slightly surprised to devilish in a second. Their rivalry was there, biting at their egos now and the dark biohog wondered if he could bring that fully out. So far the whole time Sonic has been able to keep his 'teacher' self out without picking at him or trying to outmatch him. Now, he could see that spark in the hero's green eyes, making them seem so much darker.

He couldn't deny he enjoyed this. Enjoyed sparring with Sonic. Sonic was the only one to hold a match against him. Knuckles had come close once, but the echidna was wiped out almost instantly. Sonic on the other hand could keep going, and going, and going, until they were both so exhausted they collapsed because neither wanted to lose, both wanted to win.

It was a thrill he wouldn't admit he enjoyed beyond end, because there was no one that could match him the way Sonic could. No one that could test him the way Sonic could. No one that could push him the way Sonic could.

Maybe that's why he was so interested in Sonic being his teacher…

"Come on," the hedgehog says then with a smirk, holding up his sword with a wickedness in his eyes Shadow recognized immediately. "Hit me with everything you got."

Shadow kicked off the ground and once again deflected the sword with his inhibitors, amazed on how he could. Sparks flew as the blade collided with his rings over and over, dodging blows and attempting his own in between strikes. Sonic's blade got his arm, but he ignored the pain to time out the next swing. Sonic swung and Shadow caught it with his inhibitor, using his strength to push the blade aside, elbow Sonic in the chest, grab the sword's handle as Sonic stumbled, and rip it from the hero's hold.

The adrenaline was immediate. _He got it! _He kicks the hero one more time to get him back a few feet, holding the sword out pointed at him victoriously.

Sonic puts a hand on his now bruised chest, blinking in slight surprise, before a smirk takes hold of him and he laughs.

"Nice…" he pants, and Shadow then realizes how exhausted he is, too. The adrenaline had his heart slamming in his chest, but his vision was blurry at the edges. Sonic stands up straight, putting a hand on his hip, his eyelids falling halfway, his smirk growing as if he expected something.

Suddenly a shock goes through the Ultimate Lifeform's hand, the biohog letting out a startled curse as he dropped the weapon in his hands, the sword falling into the grass, slightly steaming.

"What-?"

"Caliburn can only be wielded by who it chose to be king," Sonic laughs, walking over to the sword on the ground and lifting it up. He sheathes it, holding onto the handle as he held out his hand to Shadow. The black and red hedgehog frowns and slowly holds out his shocked hand, to which Sonic took and examined carefully. "You're left handed," he stated as if he finally figured it out. "Why didn't you tell me before? I could have gotten you a gauntlet for your left hand."

Shadow's mouth falls open but his voice his choked back when Sonic pulls off his glove, causing his eyes to widen and his face to redden instantly. His hand was cut across the palm, blisters underneath the black fur and starting to bleed. The sword cut him? How?

Sonic's hands were gentle, feeling over the wound with a frown on his face as if bothered by it. "Let's get this cleaned up. Don't use your energy to heal it, we need to save whatever we have. Merlina can do something about it."

Shadow nods, still trying to process Sonic's actions. The blue hero himself looks up at him with a half smirk. "You did good, though, despite being hit once," he gestures to the cut on the striped hog's arm. "Still, this will help you when you actually use a sword."

The praise gave him a warm feeling in his chest, his face, his ears…making the biohog pull his hand away while trying to keep himself under control. Dammit…why did everything Sonic said and did fuck with him so much?

"Come on," Sonic turns and starts their walk back to the castle. Shadow took in a shaky breath, recomposed himself, and followed.

* * *

He watches Merlina bandage his hand with a frown. The wizard had put some kind of herb spread over the wound, which made it feel better instantly. Sonic leaned back against the far wall, watching and talking with the human girl as she wrapped up the biohog's injuries.

"…and what about you?" she asked then, giving Sonic a knowing look. "You want me to put something on that?"

Sonic lifts a hand to the bruise and cut on his muzzle and smirks. "It's nothing too bad…" he starts, to which the girl scoffs immediately. She turns back to Shadow and smiles kindly. "It should heal within the next day or two," she says softly, finishing off the bandages. "You can take these off then."

"Thank you," Shadow says with a frown, pulling his glove on over his hand and flexing his fingers. He couldn't even tell his hand was hurt.

"You're welcome," she smiles at him, before standing and pointing to a chair while glaring softly at Sonic. "Sit, let me take care of that."

Sonic rolls his eyes but does as he's told. Shadow watches with interest as Merlina wipes at the hedgehog's face with a damp rag, cleaning it while scolding him under her breath. Sonic laughs, use to this by now, it seemed, his fawn muzzle pinking slightly under her words. It was interesting to see Sonic get flustered and embarrassed, most likely from needing to be taken care of.

Once Merlina was satisfied with her work, she lets Sonic stand up and dust himself off. She had put a small bandage on his face, which he rubbed at, not exactly liking it.

"Leave it," the girl says with a warning glare. "It's only for a day, Sonic."

"Yeah, whatever…" the hero shrugs, motioning for Shadow to follow him. The two hedgehogs leave waving their thanks to Merlina, before heading down the castle's hallways side by side.

"Let's go ask Bedivere to get you a gauntlet for your left hand, since you failed to mention you were left handed," Sonic smirks, causing Shadow to frown and glare slightly at him.

Once they arrived at Bedivere's workshop, they walked up to the counter where the fox sat polishing a sword he had just finished sharpening. The kid looks up at the two, a bright smile lifting up his face.

"Hello!" he calls, putting his sword down and walking up to the counter. Sonic smiles back at him.

"Hey, bud, could you do me a favor? Shadow here needs a gauntlet for his left hand," he says, pointing towards the hedgehog next to him, who nods with a frown.

Bedivere nods happily, his tails waving behind him. "I can do that! I do have one older one that he can use until I finish one. It'll also help me figure out the size to make it."

Sonic smiles, leaning one arm on the counter. "That'll be perfect."

"Wait right here," the fox calls, turning to go get the gauntlet. Shadow turns to Sonic with a raised brow.

"I have to wear it?"

Sonic rolls his eyes and smirks. "Of course, or you're gonna lose all the fur on your hands."

Shadow only frowns back at him.

The fox comes back with a silver gauntlet, one that was slightly worn for use over the years. "Try this on," he says, handing it to Sonic. "If it fits, I'll just use those measurements."

Sonic turns and motions for Shadow to give him his hand, holding up the metal armor. Shadow does, hesitantly, feeling his face heat up as the hero slid it on and tightened it with the leather straps around his wrist, frowning when the metal scraped against his inhibitor.

"I had a feeling that was going to be a problem," Sonic sighs, looking up at the fox watching quietly. "Could you make something that will go over these rings on his wrist? He can't take them off."

Bedivere nods, eyeing the rings carefully. "I can do something like that. It'll take a day or two to make them."

Sonic nods, smiling. "Thanks, bud."

The fox smiles, and Shadow thinks about how fitting it was for the young hero to be a Blacksmith in such a world.

He thought about Tails, and the promise he had made before he left…to get Sonic home safely.

After leaving the workshop, Sonic helps adjust the gauntlet so it doesn't feel so uncomfortable over the inhibitor ring. Shadow stands there, not sure why every time Sonic touched him he felt so hot and uncomfortable.

"It'll have to be for now," the king says with a shrug. "It's not bothering you too much, is it?"

Shadow shakes his head, opening and closing his hand to test out the mobility of it. It was surprisingly fine. "I can deal," he says, making Sonic smile.

"Bedivere should make you something nice. He's just as good as Tails is with making stuff."

"I figured as much," the Ultimate Lifeform commented, turning his hand over. "Everyone here seems to have a counterpart that matches their real selves."

Sonic nods, turning to walk down the hall. "Yeah, although things are slightly skewed here. Like it seems that people's lives have switched with one another's…"

"What are you talking about?" Shadow frowns, not understanding. Sonic's brows furrow as he tries to explain.

"I mean, the lives we live in our dimension…it's like we switch with someone here. Like…ah…for example," he tries, turning around to walk backwards in front of him as he explains. "Gawain and Bedivere… Gawain in this version of King Arthur was bullied as a kid and lived a harsh life on his own, until he met Arthur who took him under his wing. Bedivere didn't know where he came from or why he was the only one of his kind, but after working as an apprentice for a blacksmith, he took his job very seriously and saw it as something important that will one day benefit someone."

Shadow catches on, blinking as he registered this, as Sonic continued.

"You see? Gawain has Tails's life, and Bedivere has Knuckles's life. It's like they kept their personalities but switched how their lives went. Isn't that weird?"

Shadow nods. "How did you first discover this?"

Sonic turns back around, frowning as he looked away. "Umm…Lancelot told me what his life was like and I immediately recognized it as how I grew up. When I put all the pieces together, I realized Arthur…kind of had your life."

They stop and Shadow turns to face him, confusion evident on his face. Sonic sighs, explaining.

"Arthur was created by Merlin, like I mentioned before. Created to help his granddaughter, Merlina, and the two grew up together. The problem, was when Nimue gave Arthur the Scabbard of Excalibur, and he lost his mind and tried to destroy the kingdom…but he wasn't in his right mind. He had killed Merlin himself and Merlina went into hiding before she called me here."

Shadow stares, eyes as wide as saucers as Sonic linked the stories together for him. "Arthur and you share the same lives, the only difference is that…well…you know how your story goes, and Arthur's went way south. Lancelot and I have similar lives… The difference between you and I between Arthur and Lancelot is that when they both met, they were very close, and stayed that way even after Arthur lost his mind and transformed into that thing I killed." Hearing Sonic say that he killed someone was a startle to him, as he continues to listen. "When you and I first met we hated each other. We stayed rivals, Lancelot and Arthur were always with each other. When I first heard all of this, I realized that Merlin was like Professor Gerald, Arthur was like you, and Merlina was…well…" he trails off, not wanting to mention bad memories for Shadow's sake.

It made bitter sense, he thought with a scowl. He had thought at one point that Merlina reminded him of Maria somehow, and the fact that Merlin created Arthur was too much like his own story for comfort. He noticed how Sonic didn't mention Lancelot's story at all, wondering if he didn't feel like bringing stuff up that could relate to himself.

That's when Shadow realized he really, truly, didn't know Sonic. He has no idea what kind of life the hero had lived before they met, how he came to be and why he became a hero to begin with. Maybe…he never should have judged him to begin with. Maybe he shouldn't have pushed him away or had been as mean to him as he has. Sonic had never once judged the biohog's past or the way he acted because of it, so that didn't give him a right to do it to him.

"Anyway," Sonic hums, starting to walk back down the hall, "we're going to have to get you trained as much as we can. We have a little less than four weeks to get ready for Mordred and Morgan to attack, so we have to make sure we can actually handle them when they do show up."

Shadow nods, stepping alongside with the hedgehog. "After this is all over, you'll finally come home?"

Sonic smiles and nods. "Yeah. Of course I'll have to appoint a new king, find someone Caliburn is willing to let bare hi—it, and then make sure everything's all good before we actually go. The only thing is…getting home itself is going to be a huge problem."

"We don't have the Chaos Emerald," Shadow muttered, causing Sonic to sigh.

"I know, which means we're going to have to take the old fashioned way out of here. I'm just…not looking forward to it." He sounded upset about something, making Shadow raise a brow.

"What way is that?"

Sonic stops as they make it to his office, pausing outside the door. "There's…these seven rings in this dimension scattered throughout the world. Finding them opens a portal between the two worlds that we can travel through…the only problem is…they won't work without a sacrifice…"

Shadow stares blankly as Sonic looks away quickly, going on. "They're dangerous, as ever, and just made of nothing but negative energy. I can use them, I've done it before, but I almost lost a friend of mine in the process. If I hadn't been fighting a genie that could bring her back to life she would have…" he stops and shakes his head, and Shadow can see something like hurt flash in his emerald eyes. "I might just have to take Mordred prisoner until we go home and…"

"…use him as the sacrifice," Shadow finishes, watching Sonic look down grimly. Sonic mentioned killing King Arthur…what was different about Mordred? Every time Mordred or le Fay was brought up, he seemed to grow distant and bothered by something. He didn't seem to have a problem taking out Arthur…

Sonic sighs again, rubbing his right eye as he opens the door to the office. "Yeah, that's the only thing I can think of."

Lancelot and Galahad were in the office talking quietly, only to stop when Sonic and Shadow walked in. Galahad smiles weakly at the pair, Lancelot frowning between them, glaring at Shadow before nodding at his king in respect.

"Hey guys, something wrong?" Sonic asks, smiling. He seemed to change his personality completely, then, putting on a mask as soon as he saw the other two. Is that what Sonic usually did? Sonic had opened up slightly, if barely, showing a different side of himself that held feelings that Shadow could recognize as guilt, stress, worry…but hid those away like a snap of the fingers. Was Sonic's annoying, bubbly, child-like personality just a cover for other, deeper feelings he had? Shadow pushes these thoughts out of his head, not sure why he was even worrying over it. It wasn't like he and Sonic were close…

"_You're a friend, Shadow, I want to help."_

"_I'm not your friend, and I don't need your help."_

Lancelot crosses his arms and shakes his head. "Another village towards the Great Plains is reporting attacks from Morgan's monsters."

Sonic frowns, eyes narrowing slightly. "You know exactly where?"

Lancelot nods, holding out the map he held. Sonic and Shadow look over it, Sonic seeming to recognize the place easily.

"We'll all go, then," the king decides with a shake of his head. "Call for Gawain, he knows the area well, too."

Galahad offers to go get him, leaving the three hedgehog's by themselves. Sonic turns to Shadow, smiling softly. "Go get your sword. We can test out how much you've learned so far."

Shadow nods, taking a second to return Lancelot's glare before turning to leave the room.

Once he leaves, Sonic glances over at Lancelot and smirks. "Stop harassing him."

Lancelot huffs, looking back at his map. "I don't know what you're talking about."


	6. 6 - Enter le Fey

**Chapter Six – Enter le Fay**

The white bat sighed, watching her human friend and the inventor talk all their science stuff while playing with the Chaos Emerald in her hands. A whole day of brainstorming and they still had no clue how to send the Chaos Emerald to Shadow.

"What if we rewired the teleporter so that it sends only the emerald?" Topaz was saying. "It doesn't need someone to hold it, does it?"

"We can try, but sending the emerald by itself without anyone controlling it could cause the machine to explode, or, some unpredictable time and space issue," the inventor sighs. "It's going to take a little while to figure this out safely."

Topaz looks back at Rouge, who shrugged. "Don't look at me, I don't know these things."

The girl sighs and turns away, rubbing her hands over her face. They had no help here from anyone that knew Chaos like Sonic and Shadow did. They could always contact Tails, she supposed, but that might cause the fox to panic because not only was Sonic stuck in another dimension, but Shadow was as well.

"I'll figure something out," the inventor sighs, standing up, fixing his glasses. "Just give me a few days and I'll let you know what I can do."

"Probably for the best, anyway," Rouge yawns, stretching her wings. Topaz raises a brow at her, not understanding.

"How is this for the best?"

The white bat smiles devilishly, turning the Chaos Emerald over in her hand. "It'll give those two some time to talk and get to know each other. Address Shadow's…problem."

The inventor leaves the room as Topaz fully turns to her friend and puts her hands on her hips. "Problem?"

Rouge smiled sweetly. "Oh, yeah. Did I never tell you? Shadow has a crush on Big Blue~"

The human just stands there, staring blankly. "Wh…What?"

"Yup. I guess it happened a couple months ago during that whole 'world breaking into pieces' problem, when Sonic asked for Shadow's help in Adabat. The two spent a few days together and afterwards Shadow came back acting totally weird." She stands up, dusting herself off. "So I did a little investigation, and after questioning him, he said he felt, 'weird,' around Sonic. I assumed it was a crush and he's been pissed at me since."

Topaz only stares at her friend, playing the explanation through her head twice before answering. "…are you sure?"

Rouge raises a brow. "Have I ever been wrong? I bet you anything, even a Chaos Emerald, that Shadow is head over heels but doesn't understand why or what exactly that means. I doubt he even knows what that feels like."

The human turns from her friend, pinching the skin between her eyes. "And you want him to stay a little while on purpose…"

"Mmhmm~" Rouge purrs, putting a hand on her hip. "Sonic's smart…I'm sure he'll figure it out."

Topaz shakes her head and gives her friend a weak smile. "You're something, you know that?"

The bat laughs. "You're not the first to tell me that."

* * *

The green plains stretched out for miles with tall, green grass covering every inch. They could see rabbits hop by in a scurry as they ran passed; dirt kicking up by their shoes as they traveled at unseen speeds. Shadow had to admit he was slightly impressed -and annoyed- by the fact that Lancelot was just as fast as him, skating next to Sonic as they made their way to the village in need of their help. Gawain was running behind them, surprisingly fast as well, making Shadow wonder if Knuckles was that fast. Considering both the echidna and Tails were with Sonic a lot, he also wondered if he should be surprised.

Did that mean Arthur had been as fast as Sonic?

"We're almost there," Sonic calls from in the lead. "Once we're over this hill we're gonna take the path to the left."

"Won't that take longer?" Gawain calls, his expression hidden by his visor. Shadow questioned how the hell they could see through those like that all the time.

"Just slightly," Sonic says with a small frown, "but I don't want them to see us coming. If we can hit them from behind we can take a major fraction of them out at once."

Sonic making plans? He knew the hero's been here for three months, but still, could he mature in such short little time?

The two knights seemed satisfied with that, continuing on without any further comments. Eventually they make it to a set of rocky ruins, polished silver and shiny from relentless rain over the open fields, spreading out to cover a random stretch of land that seemed to be the village. There was a large number of the inhabitants hiding inside a large cave remodeled into a meeting area of sorts, with a large table, cushions, and carpets scattered around. The moment they see Sonic and his group they rush over, babbling in their language that Sonic somehow knew.

After watching the hero exchange the odd language with the natives, he turns and explains to the rest of them. "It sounds like they all escaped into different hiding spots, but the creatures of the Underworld are still roaming around the village. Let's go take them out and figure out why they're targeting this village exactly."

All three mobians nod, following Sonic out of the cave and back outside.

Sure enough, the dark, fish monsters were everywhere.

Just like Sonic had said, coming in from the back gave them a huge advantage. The creatures didn't even know they were there until one that Sonic killed gave out a loud shriek that signaled its comrades.

Most of them had already been taken out by that point, so once they started swarming the group of four they were easy to pick off.

"You've gotten so much better," Sonic chirped, throwing an arm over Shadow's shoulders. The black and red hedgehog blinks in surprise, turning away with the compliment.

"Of course I have," he mutters, trying to sound as if Sonic's words _didn't_ make him feel better about himself. It must have worked because Sonic rolled his eyes and smiled brightly at him.

He took notice of Lancelot glaring daggers at him as Sonic pulled away, and Shadow once again met the dark knight's cold look with a smirk of his own. He didn't get why he was challenging the knight, not sure why he just felt like he should, but he did, and the agitation was obvious by the way the knight turned away, quills bristling.

He felt proud for some unknown reason, then, once again questioning himself. Lancelot didn't like him simply because of bitter jealousy over Sonic. Why? Sonic had mentioned it but for what reason did Lancelot have to be jealous?

Again, the thought crosses his mind that Sonic and Lancelot could be closer than he's been told. Then with Sonic flirting with him…

Rouge would be losing her mind right now, he thinks grudgingly as he watches Sonic share words with Gawain, who was investigating something inside of the stone buildings.

"_Aww, you are just so cute. Still...it's a shame that everyone I fall for is either difficult or ga-…"_

He shakes his head immediately, cutting her voice out from his head, feeling his face heat up. Why did he think it would be safe to tell her that he…?

"It's about time you showed up," a woman's voice called, causing the group to whip around quickly. Sonic's quills raised and both Lancelot and Gawain growled, and Shadow only took in the sight of the female in front of him with confusion and curiosity.

"Morgan," Sonic said coolly, reaching for Caliburn at his waist.


	7. 7 - The Twins

**Chapter Seven – The Twins**

"Morgan," Sonic said coolly, reaching for Caliburn at his waist.

Shadow had no idea who her counterpart was.

A magenta hedgehog with pink quills that looked almost identical to Sonic. She could pass as a twin sister to him. Then again…

Didn't Sonic say that Morgan and Mordred were related to Arthur? If she's Arthur's sister in this world, then did that mean…?

Any time Shadow had asked whose counterpart they were, Sonic would brush it aside like he had no idea, but acted oddly about it. Did that mean, that Sonic had a brother and sister in their world?

The magenta hedgehog was wearing a revealing purple dress that would make Rouge jealous beyond repair, loose purple bracelets around her wrists, and a black and purple staff in her right hand. She had yellow eyes that seemed to pierce through everything with a simple glance, which were now half-lidded as she regarded the king that took her brother's place.

"Sir Sonic," she drawled, as if even saying his name was revolting to her. She leans forward on her staff, scowling at him. "Still wandering around our world pretending to be something you're not?"

The two knights in front of him held their swords up defensively, ready to guard their king against the witch at any costs. One of Sonic's ears quirked back, a look of irritation falling over his face.

"From what I know, if I didn't have a part in this story I wouldn't be here, right?" the blue hedgehog asks, eyes narrowed. "If my role is to take out all three of you to give this place a happy ending, then I'll do it. I'm already one third of the way there."

Whoa. Shadow can't help but give the hero a surprised look. Sonic's voice was harsh and determined, and he spoke boldly about killing them. What the hell happened to him while he was in this world? Sonic didn't seem like the type to…go to that extent…

The witch smirks and raises a brow. "Ah, and I have to thank you for that. Arthur was always such a pain… Still…it wasn't his fault he became a monster. Doesn't that make you a murder? Killing an innocent man, a king at that?" Sonic glares at her, his grip on his sword tightening as she continues: "You didn't even consider that there could be another way to save him."

"You dishonorable wench," Gawain speaks up, cutting her off. "How dare you talk to him that way?"

"Yet you speak without his permission," she scoffs, waving the echidna away. "Whether or not you agree with me, doesn't mean no one else does." She smirks again, this time her eyes dancing on Lancelot for a split second. "He _was _my brother, and I loved him no matter how much he irritated me. What caused our rift was that he couldn't see our side. Given time he would have joined us, but because of that pitiful excuse for a knight there," she points her staff at Lancelot, who tensed and narrowed his eyes, "he became a chaotic monster and was killed! It doesn't surprise me that you, Sir Lancelot, would grovel at your new king's feet like you did Arthur's…"

"Shut up!" Sonic yelled before she could finish. Lancelot was fuming, and Sonic stepped in front of him with his sword raised and pointed at her. "You don't know anything about what happened, so mind your own business."

"Arthur was my business!" Morgan yelled back, quills bristling and her yellow eyes narrowed. "How much do _you _really know, _King _Sonic? Tell me that."

"I don't need to know, and I don't care to know what happened," he growled. "I'm here to stop you and your brother from destroying this world, that's it. I don't give a damn if there was more to the story. I go by what I see, and what I see are two jerks trying to take over a free world and destroy it. This has nothing to do with Arthur, Lancelot, and what happened before I got here. I'm here now, and I know what I have to do whether or not I want to."

There it was, Shadow thinks. There's the Sonic that he at least _knew_. This side of Sonic only came out when he was at his limit with patience. It came out when he was pissed and tired of hearing his enemy babble on and try to convince him that he's wrong. It came out when he witnessed the selfishness and evil in a person and became absolutely fed up with it. He seen it while fighting him himself, while fighting alongside him, when he took down Metal Sonic, when he took on Black Doom, any time he's fought Eggman, and now. It was one of the things he actually liked about the hero. Sonic may joke and screw around but he didn't put up with his enemy's bullshit.

"Oh?" the witch glares, venom dripping from her words. "Would you be so eager to kill off your own brother or sister the way you would us?"

Sonic didn't even make a sound when he lunged at her.

* * *

Knuckles cursed as he watched the Master Emerald let out another pulse. For the past few weeks it had started to grow upset, letting out pulses of inane Chaos Energy as if the god inside it was infuriated over something. "Tell me what's wrong," he says quietly to it, putting a large hand on its glowing surface. Nothing but silence.

"I thought I was the only crazy person that talked to gems on this whole planet," came the seductive voice of a certain bat behind him, causing the Emerald Guardian to sigh and turn, glaring at her.

"What do you want? I'm busy."

Rouge puts her hands on her hips, raising a brow. "Did you know that Sonic's in another dimension right now?"

"Why does that not surprise me," he mutters, rolling his purple eyes. "He's always getting into trouble."

"It's worse than you think," she says, walking around to peer at him suspiciously. "He's been gone for over three weeks."

"He's what?!" Knuckles exclaims, turning to face her.

His reaction was exactly what she expected. She turns and plays with her nails, maintaining her nonchalant appearance. "We saw him get sucked through a portal on CCTV," she says. "We've had the Resistance on us about finding him, so the Commander sent Shadow on the job."

"Why hasn't anyone told me?" he growls, holding up his fists. To think Sonic, stuck in another dimension for three weeks on his own…

"Oh, we've tried," she smiles softly. "If you were better at picking up our calls you would have known sooner."

Knuckles curses under his breath and looks at the Master Emerald again. Is that what the gem's been trying to tell him? That Sonic was gone? It made sense, he thought. The Chaos Emeralds were bonded to the hero and Chaos took favor in the hedgehog after he saved him. Then again…if Sonic's been there for over three weeks, then…

"We have to get him back!" the echidna exclaimed.

"That's the problem," Rouge huffs, looking away. "The machine that Shadow used to get there didn't send the Chaos Emerald with him, so they have no way back."

"This is bad," Knuckles shakes his head. "Without a source of Chaos Energy they could both go into a coma from loss of energy."

Rouge freezes, turning to look at him with wide eyes. "What?"

"The Master Emerald has been trying to tell me," he says, crossing his arms. "If they don't get back here soon…if Sonic doesn't get back here soon…he can get seriously hurt."

"How can we send the emerald to them, then?" she asks, feeling slightly guilty for not realizing how bad the situation could be. "I came to ask you because I don't want to involve the fox boy over this. He's already freaking out about it."

Knuckles looks at the emerald, frowning. "I can probably try and send the emerald to them through the Master, but traveling through time and space, I don't know how long it could take. It could be too late by the time it gets there…"

"So…what do we do?"

Knuckles looks down, brows furrowed as he thinks. She was right; involving Tails would be a bad idea because the kid would flip. There had to be a better way to do this…

"Where's the machine that caused this?" he asked, not sure about what else to do. Rouge frowns.

"At G.U.N. Headquarters. Did you want to see it?"

He nods. "I don't see any other option, so let's go."

* * *

Sonic's outburst surprised them all. Morgan was barely able to get up a shield before Sonic was crashing into it, purple electricity sparking everywhere as he took the blast head on. His eyes were blazing and narrowed, the woman having stroke a nerve no one knew existed inside the hero. His teeth were clenched as he swung hit after hit on the barrier, the witch behind it not so cocky now that she was feeling the brunt of his anger, and Sonic was _pissed._

The electric shocks bursting from the hits were preventing the others to get closer, otherwise they would be scorched. They held their hands up over their faces, trying to watch in case Sonic needed them.

At the moment he didn't look as if he needed anyone.

Caliburn was able to strike through the barrier, causing the witch to let out a cry and fly backwards from the resulting explosion, hitting her back on a rocky wall behind her. Sonic walked calmly over, a menacing aura about him as he took his time getting over to her.

The two knights seemed flabbergasted by this show from their king. Shadow couldn't help but be surprised either. He's seen Sonic pissed before, but this was a whole different story.

The magenta hedgehog curses something in another language as she pushes herself up, wincing from pain in her back. She holds up the hand that was supporting it and gapes at the blood there, before turning an icy glare at the hedgehog approaching her.

"I have to admit, I'm impressed with your abilities with a _dead sword_," she mocks, causing Sonic's blue ears to bend backwards. "Still no _word _from _dear_ Caliburn? Kill me and you'll never know how to save him."

What the hell did _that _mean? Caliburn was Sonic's sword…what did she mean by save 'him'?

"We call people like you cowards," Sonic hissed through gritted teeth. It made him sound suddenly very intimidating. She only smirks at him.

"Being smart is different, Your Majesty, and so is stalling for time!"

Sonic jumped back as a purple portal opened and a green flash jumped out of it, the sound of metal clanging loudly as two swords met.

A green hedgehog was entangled with the cobalt hero, grinning like a maniac as he leaned his sword against Caliburn. "Greetings, alternate-brother of mine. Have you missed me?"

"Mordred," Lancelot growls under his breath, both he and Gawain bracing with their swords.

Mordred was a lime-green hedgehog with many large bangs on his forehead spiking out in every direction. He wore black cuffs around his wrist with silver spikes on them, wore black armor with a red cape, and a black crown on his head under the bangs. His eyes were a dark blue, almost the same color as Sonic's fur. He too, looked a lot like both Morgan and Sonic.

Sonic kicks the green hedgehog away and jumps back, standing in between both Gawain and Lancelot with a scowl. Mordred doesn't waste time and darts after him, meeting blades with Lancelot instead. Sonic runs around, right after Morgan.

"Gawain, help Lance! Shadow," he calls, looking back at the other striped hedgehog.

Both nod and do as their told. Shadow only takes a split second to register Sonic's order, and before he knows it, both of them are after Morgan.

His sword clashes with the staff in the witch's hands, and she grins devilishly. "It's a _pleasure _to meet you, Shadow," she purrs, before jumping out of the way of Sonic's sword.

She backflips over the hero, landing on a rocky wall a little ways from them. Sonic holds his arm out to Shadow, not even looking at him as he says, "Throw me."

The biohog doesn't doubt him, and grabs his counterpart's wrist and spins him around quickly, throwing him hard enough to send him spindashing into Morgan. She's barely ready, and blocks with her staff, but ultimately fails and is sent flying backwards into the ground.

Shadow joins Sonic in circling her, both ready for anything. She gets up, her cockiness gone, replaced by a nasty scowl.

"You...fools…" she sneers, before disappearing in a magenta mist.

Sonic and Shadow's eyes widen, meeting each others in uncertainty, before Morgan reappears behind Sonic.

"Sonic!" Shadow calls, warning him. Sonic turns just in time to catch her staff with his sword, dark magic shooting off of it and nearly blinding him. He growls at her, and she smirks back. A wave of energy travels up her rod into Caliburn, and the hero's eyes widen as it starts traveling up his arms. He was starting to feel sick, faint, as if his strength was just waning away.

"Shadow!" he yells out.

The black and red hedgehog is already behind her, and slashes his sword across her back.

She screams out and drops her staff, collapsing on the ground to her side, dark energy swirling around her. Sonic stumbles backwards, the energy leaving him, but leaving him exhausted. Shadow jumps forward in time to catch him, holding him up with one arm, his other pointing his sword at the fallen witch.

"Th-Thanks," Sonic breathes out.

Shadow's brows furrow. "What _was _that?"

"Morgan!" Mordred suddenly calls to his sister, seeing her fall from where he stood fighting Lancelot and Gawain.

She glares up at both the King and his shadow. "You will pay for this," she hisses, disappearing in a mist.

Mordred dashes away from Lancelot's sword and spits at him, before jumping into a dark portal behind him.

They were gone.

* * *

"Who?"

Sonic was laying on a table covered in soft blankets and herbs Merlina had in her study, while the girl carefully healed him with her powers. At the question asked of him, the blue hero closes his eyes and lets out a tiny sigh. Shadow watched Merlina give him a concerned look, but Sonic opened his eyes and looked up at him where he stood at the side of the table, a small frown on his muzzle.

"They're the counterparts of my brother and sister, Manic and Sonia." he says.

Shadow's ears quirk, his eyes narrowing slightly in thought. "You have siblings?"

"I _had_."

_Oh_.

The heaviness of the situation was now clear. Shadow had no idea Sonic even had a family, let alone a brother and sister. Now he understood why… Sonic wouldn't have told him that he used to have siblings, especially if they were gone.

Sonic's reaction to Morgan's harsh words now made sense. To have to fight evil counterparts of people you've lost… Shadow couldn't imagine having to fight a counterpart of Maria.

"Morgan and Mordred were Arthur's siblings," Merlina says softly. "They were banished when Arthur became king. Now that Sonic is king," she says, looking up at Shadow. "They want to kill him and take the kingdom for themselves."

Shadow looks back at Sonic, and there's an unspoken question shared between them.

"I'll be able to do what I have to," Sonic states firmly. "Don't doubt me."

There's a shakiness to his voice, but Shadow knows better than to call him out on it. "If you can't," he decides to say instead, "I could for you."

The hero winces and looks away. "I...appreciate it, but…"

"Don't," Shadow stops him. "I would expect the same from you if our roles were reversed."

Sonic looks back at him with slightly widened eyes. They stare at each other for another minute, before Sonic smiles gently.

"Thank you, Shadow."

* * *

**Notes -**

_We're updating at least one of our stories every Friday, now. If you want to chat with us, come find us on Twitter or Inkbunny!_

_\- AnonymouxSonic_


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